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Published: 06 November 2012

Created: 06 November 2012

Last Updated: 06 November 2012

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This article was contributed by Roz Binday, President of Advocate Brokerage in Scarsdale: We all know how badly Sandy battered the Scarsdale area, but there is a bright side. It was mostly a wind event…not a flood event. Even worse, it could have been both. Windstorms, hurricanes and Nor’Easters all have the potential to cause different kinds of damage over short distances due to many localized effects.

Understanding Your Deductibles: An important question that has now been answered is what was Sandy, a hurricane or a Nor’Easter? Those residents insured by carriers that mandate punishing hurricane deductibles would have been adversely affected if Sandy had been classified as a hurricane. It is common for carriers like Allstate and State Farm to have windstorm deductibles in the vicinity of 5% of the dwelling limit. For example, a house insured at $1,000,000 might have a $50,000 out of pocket windstorm deductible. Consequently, windstorm deductibles would have had a particularly devastating financial impact. Fortunately, Super Storm Sandy did not sustain hurricane winds, so it did not trigger the “special” windstorm deductible. People with “special” windstorm deductibles dodged the bullet this time.

This is a moot point for those insured with carriers like Chubb, Fireman’s Fund, PURE, ACE and Travelers, as they do not implement a special hurricane deductible in our territory. Damage from Sandy would always have been subject to only one base policy deductible.

Report Your Loss ASAP: When catastrophe strikes, those who have sustained damage or are in need of assistance should promptly report this to their insurer. In the interest of speed, insurance carriers promote and encourage direct claims reporting, which is why they have 24-7 800 numbers. These numbers are listed on the policy, call your agent, or find it on line. In the event of emergencies, insurance agencies like Advocate Brokerage provide a voice mail system which announces the telephone numbers of the various insurers. Start getting estimates for the repairs to determine if they are over the deductible.

Documentation: In the case of Sandy, the massive volume of claims, power outages and devastation has caused inordinate delays with the claim process. Adjusters are straining to keep up with the losses. If your damage is severe and emergency repairs are required to prevent further damage from ensuing, the insurance carriers anticipate and expect that emergency repairs will be made. It is strongly suggested that photographs be taken of the damages to be presented to the appointed adjuster. One picture can be worth a thousand words…and can avert a big headache!

Tree Removal and Loss of Refrigerated Goods: Coverage is usually subject to your base deductible and the limits afforded can vary dramatically from carrier to carrier. Check your policy or call your agent.

In summary: Just as all men are not created equal, so all policies are not created equal. Your insurance policy is a contract, and all coverage is determined by the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions as set forth in the policy.

If a tree falls on my house, am I covered?

This is a question asked of us every time there is a major windstorm. It is also one of the most frequent questions the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) receives from consumers each year. Consequently, we are attaching their generalized responses below in italics, as they are self-explanatory.

“The answer is quite straightforward,” said Jeanne M. Salvatore, senior vice president and consumer spokesperson for the I.I.I. “If a tree hits a home or other insured structure such as a detached garage, standard homeowners insurance policies provide coverage for the damage the tree does to the structure and the contents within it. This includes trees felled by a windstorm, hail, weight of ice, snow or sleet.”

Furthermore, it does not matter whether or not a tree was actually growing on your property; if it lands on your home, you should file a claim with your insurance company. After a hurricane or windstorm trees, shrubs and branches can become projectiles capable of traveling significant distances. Insurance companies do not waste time trying to locate exactly where the tree originally lived.

“In some situations where the felled tree was located on a neighbor’s property, the policyholder’s insurance company may try to collect from a neighbor’s insurance company in a process called subrogation. This sometimes occurs if the tree was in poor health or not properly maintained. If the insurer is successful, you may be reimbursed for the deductible,” says Salvatore.

If a tree hits an insured structure, there is also coverage for the cost of removing the tree, generally up to about $500 to $1,000, depending on the insurer and the type of policy purchased. If the fallen tree did not hit an insured structure, there is generally no coverage for tree debris removal; however, some insurance companies may pay for the cost of removing it if the felled tree blocks a driveway or a ramp designed to assist the handicapped.

Cars damaged or destroyed by falling trees are covered under the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy.

Roz Binday is president of Advocate Brokerage Corp. 820 Scarsdale Avenue, Scarsdale, 914-723-7100, rozbinday@advbc.com

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Published: 13 November 2012

Created: 13 November 2012

Last Updated: 13 November 2012

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The Scarsdale Procedure Committee will hold the election for the Citizen’s Nominating Committee on Wednesday November 14 at Scarsdale Village Hall. Voting hours are 7-9:30 A.M. and 2-9 P.M. The CNC, comprised of 30 elected representatives, six each from the five voting districts, interviews and chooses non-partisan candidates for Village office in the village election in March. These nominators will select candidates to run for Mayor, Village Trustee and Village Justice.

Here are the candidates you’ll find on the ballot. Scarsdale residents will have the option of voting for two out of the four candidates running from their neighborhoods:

EDGEWOOD: Warren Haber, Michael Lewis, David Rosewater, and Richard Wingate

FOX MEADOW: Norwood Beveridge, Jr., Linda Blair, Maxim Grudin, and Susan Groner

GREENACRES: Linda Flaxer, Michael Green, Kenneth Raskin, and Andrea Seiden

HEATHCOTE: Beth Ehrich Berkeley, Emily Kirschenbaum, Robert Reiffel, and Evelyn Stock

QUAKER RIDGE: David Dembitzer, Israel Kornstein, David Weiss, and Marc Yaseen

There are also several proposed amendments to the Non-Partisan Resolution on the ballot. Here is a summary of the proposals:

1. Summary of proposed Amendment to Article V, Section 5A (Organization Meeting): The first portion of the Organizational Meeting would be open to the public and would be televised for later viewing on cable television by tape; the business conducted during the public portion would include hearing from incumbent members of the Board of Trustees not running for reelection about the duties and responsibilities of Trustees and the Mayor and the desirable skills and talents to be looked for in potential nominees, consideration of the CNC’s rules of procedure, and description of best practices in conducting due diligence on possible nominees; it would allow the CNC to go into executive session for a portion of its business.

2. Proposed Amendment to Article IV, Section 7c: Mail-in ballots may be received on the day of the election:

3. Proposed amendment to Non-Partisan Resolution, Article V, Section 6: Present CNC ballot procedure would be codified so as to require that the election for each open office or position will be conducted separately, without reference to the name of the current occupant of an office or position.

All Scarsdale residents are encouraged to vote in the election on Wednesday November 14 at Scarsdale Village Hall.

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Published: 05 November 2012

Created: 05 November 2012

Last Updated: 05 November 2012

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The results of the Scarsdale10583 Presidential Poll are in – and among the 153 who participated, Obama lead 53.5% to 43.7% for Mitt Romney.  We also asked users to rank the issues in order of importance to them and here is how they stacked up. It is interesting to note that two issues that barely figured in the national debate are of primary concern to Scarsdale voters:

Here are the issues in order of importance:

1) Gun Control

2) The Environment

3) Healthcare/Women’s Rights (tied)

4) Foreign Policy/Tax Policy (tied)

5) The National Debt

6) Jobs and the Economy

Here are a few of the many comments we received on the survey:

-I hope people listen closely to what the candidate really say and understand whether they are not truthful rather than listening to the media reword things. There are a lot of smart people in Scarsdale and I hope they will think before they vote!!!!

-As my 18-year-old voter son said, "I am a social liberal and a fiscal conservative, and right now the economic issues are just way more important". Gotta love that Scarsdale Schools' critical thinking in action!

-Romney cannot possibly do worse than Obama on any of the issues I highlight as important. Especially after seeing him define himself during the debates, I am convinced Mitt is the better man.

-I don't know how anyone can vote for Romney...Republican or Democrat....he only says what he believes will win him votes...no one really knows what he believes or will do...he has taken all sides of all issues

Whatever your views, go out and vote tomorrow Tuesday November 6, 2012. Con Edison, the Village Manager’s Office the Board of Elections and Scarsdale Village Clerk Donna Conkling have gone to extraordinary efforts to make our polling places available to you so exercise your right to vote.