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INSURANCE 'DUCKS

In the aftermath of the Great Flood of '93,
victims along the Mississippi are struggling
to collect what they paid to have insured.
They are not alone.

JENNIFER FINER

JEWISH NEWS INTERN

he list of devastating disas-
ters keeps getting longer
and longer.
Last year, Hurricane
Andrew ripped through the
southern part of Florida and
caused $30 billion in dam-
age.
Earlier this year, the
World Trade Center in New
York City fell victim to a
terrorist bomb, claiming
several lives and causing
millions in damage.
And now this summer,
residents of the upper
Mississippi River valley are
in the midst of the worst
flooding in recent history,
leaving in its tracks a long
and expensive clean-up
process that will ultimately
cost billions of dollars.

When disaster strikes,
it's usually unexpected and
can be destructive to any
business or homeowner.
A disaster especially gets
ugly when it leaves the
insured in its wake, and
many scramble for informa-
tion that can explain why
they are not getting all they
may be entitled to under
their insurance policies.
Public adjustors and
attorneys who specialize in
advocating for the rights of
the insured say most people
do not realize exactly what
they are entitled to and
automatically take insur-
ance company estimates as
accurate.
The Michigan Association
of Insurance Companies
says this isn't always the
case. The organization
receives 600 calls a month
on its consumer hot line
and, says President Terry
Buckles, only a small per-
centage of callers complain
about property damage dis-
putes with their insurance
companies.
"A vast majority of prop-
erty claims are handled
without legal counsel or

public adjusters," Mr.
Buckles says.
When outside help is
needed, public adjustors and
attorneys are often called
upon to step in and help the
insured receive adequate
compensation.
Robert Levin and Allen
Gross of Southfield-based
Globe Midwest Corp. have
been working to assist the
insured around the country.
This summer, the public
adjustors have been work-
ing with victims of the
Mississippi flood areas. But
even before the flood, Mr.
Levin and Mr. Gross made
it their business to make
-sure victims get what they
are entitled to.
They act as consultants
in property insurance mat-
ters, giving advice on how
much and what type of cov-
erage to buy.
"People don't know what
they are entitled to," Mr.
Gross said. "We represent
people in the preparation of
their claims and dealing
with the insurance compa-
ny. We also work to expe-
dite an equitable settle-
ment."