ACCG-IRMA Administrator Offers FEMA Claims Support

Hurricane Irma created extensive property damage throughout Georgia as it began to roll through in early September 2017. Property losses from the storm were caused by flooding, storm surge and wind. It has been a slow process for some counties to assess the damage due to efforts around evacuations, closings, power outages and depletion of supplies like gas, water and other resources. Counties should report claims for damage to their insured property to their insurance carrier as soon as possible, documenting the damage and maintaining frequent and clear communication with the claims adjuster. It is important to understand the county’s property insurance provisions due to the complexities around flooding, storm surge and named storms such as Irma.

Counties not only have an opportunity to recover from their insurance carriers, but they may receive assistance from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for uninsurable expenses. In preparation for Irma and anticipating evacuation efforts, FEMA made an Emergency declaration (EM-3387) on Sept. 8, 2017. The federal government then responded to the devastation following President Trump’s major FEMA disaster declaration (DR-4338) on Sept. 15, 2017. As a result, the clock has started ticking for public entities to file their Request for Public Assistance, FEMA Form 90-49. The form, labeled with the official disaster number (EM-3387 or DR-4338), needs to be submitted within 30 days of the declaration date. ACCG encourages counties to submit their requests as soon as practicable due to the numerous demands on funds available through FEMA.

The property losses following Irma may be extremely complex for public entities from a data and management standpoint, particularly for those entities not familiar with FEMA regulations and related claim procedures. MARSH, the Administrator for the ACCG Property & Liability Program (ACCG-IRMA), has a Forensic Accounting and Claims Services (FACS) Practice that can work with counties through those complex issues that may follow Hurricane Irma, helping them maximize their recovery and/or minimize their loss. Their staff has prepared hundreds of complex FEMA claims for clients totaling billions of dollars after federally-declared disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina and Matthew. They can provide assistance with:

The FEMA application process

Evaluation of FEMA’s prior disaster assistance and insurance purchase requirements

Tracking and allocating expenditures according to FEMA requirements

Eligibility advice with loss expenditures

Preparation of project worksheets including debris removal, emergency protective measures, and permanent repair and replacement work

Protect counties’ interest in scope repair disputes with FEMA

Integration of the insurance settlement into the FEMA recovery formula

Management of compliance with FEMA recovery guidelines

The final inspection and audit close-out process.

FACS utilizes powerful, proprietary technology tools that assist in expediting claims recoveries. They provide quick and secure online access to project information, including control over access privileges based on the level of involvement of each user. Their claims engineers can work with counties to address code upgrade issues, protect the counties’ interest in scope repair disputes with FEMA, and provide actual vs. hypothetical baseline schedule analyses. Their comprehensive services are aimed at helping counties improve the efficiency of the claims process and achieve their recovery goals.

The MARSH FEMA claim preparation fees are covered at the FEMA cost-share percentage that applies to the applicable disaster – referred to as Direct Administrative Costs (DAC).

For more information on this service or the county’s property insurance provisions, contact Ashley Abercrombie at 404-589-7828 or aabercrombie@accg.org or Matt Autry of MARSH at 404-995-2616 or matt.autry@marsh.com.

ACCG, Georgia's County Association
191 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30303
phone: 404-522-5022 | fax: 404-525-2477 | ACCG.org