Business of Disaster (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
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- Опубліковано 10 січ 2022
- Who profits when disaster strikes? FRONTLINE & NPR investigates how much insurance companies profit after a natural disaster. (Aired 2016)
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When Superstorm Sandy made landfall in October of 2012, the historic natural disaster killed more than 100 people and caused catastrophic damage along the Eastern seaboard. “Business of Disaster” puts two key parts of the disaster recovery system under scrutiny: the special housing aid Congress gives to local governments after major disasters, and the National Flood Insurance Program that’s run by the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Major insurance companies declined to be interviewed, but FRONTLINE and NPR spent months working to track their profit numbers down. With storms expected to grow in frequency and intensity, this joint investigation raises troubling questions about disaster relief in America.
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The Netherlands built a 1 billion dollar a year maintenance gate to avoid floods in their country. It cost them even more to build. When asked if they didn't think it was too much to spend on maintenance per year they responded saying that with what was spent rebuilding from hurricane Harvey in the US one time, they could maintain the gate for 125 years. It is a business.
xtscarface M, There has been talk of building a gate-like structure to protect the Texas coast, but that's all it's been, because of cost.
@@pamelaporter4750, or more like the politicians in Texas, don't give a damn about their constituents.
@@chadwickelliott1461 because they get vacations and stock shares in the insurance scam...
As a Hollander, I am proud of them
100%!!
Frontline has been the best news program on television for years.
Sure wish this this program would be on prime time on one of the big three channels, people would learn a lot,most in-depth reporting program there is!!!
Its the other way around. If people would really care it would be on primetime
@Nicholas Howard i wanna beat up some insurance agents hehe
Remember when the City of Flint was having deadly amounts of lead contamination in the city water and Barack went there to do a speech and a whole bunch of people turned out to cheer for BARACK OBAMA TO SAVE THE DAY and declare a state of Emergency and allocate a million bucks or so, peanuts really, of non-discretionary limited federal fund to modernize their water system, just like the work being contracted out to be done all over Afghanistan and Iraq...and he gets up to the podium....and he says...."bring me a drink of water....TAP WATER!" and an audible gasp goes up in the crowd as they wait with baited breath....and he puts that glass of water to his lips.....and.....he.....just barely wets his lips and wipes his mouth on his sleeve and he says "I USED TO EAT PAIN'T CHIPS AND LOOK AT ME YOU BUNCH OF FLINT BITCHES. DRINK THE DAMN WATER OR GET AN AQUAFINA..." and he just throws the microphone down like so cold and then he just walks toward the door and mutters under his breath "a billion or bust" and then he walks out the door and gets on his chopper and flips em all the bird as they take off it was the coldest.
@@eddiew2325 insurance CEO’s*
I remember a group of bikers that did more for our neighborhood than FEMA and the red cross ever did. They came with food and water and generators to charge our phones, they were there for about 2 months. Red Cross gave us weird tasting water and MREs, once. I'll never forget that WE the people are the ones that help not the politicians.
Also goes to show how politicians visiting disaster areas is one of the mostly useless PR grandstand attempts that accomplishes nothing. Yet year after year people still fall for the fake BS.
I went to NYC post-Sandy with a veteran disaster relief group, had my apartment flooded during the 2016 "Tax Day" floods in Houston, and worked as a first responder during Hurricane Harvey. One thing in each situation is seeing face to face the human experience of these flood disasters and it boils my blood to see how the people here are reduced to numbers.
With thousands of people affected, how do they not go by numbers? How is everyone supposed to be on a first name basis? Some need help, others try to improperly profit. There are risks living on the sea shore. Risks living on the Mississippi river. The government needs to get out of the disaster business.
That's what insurance is for. I don't want to assume risk for people who choose to live in hazardous areas. I will assume my own risk.
@@TheBandit7613 Everywhere has risk of some sort. The average person can understand making cold but necessary calculations. Look up Ken Feinberg. But here they didn't try to make calculations.
Yeah, I knew a guy who went to help with the aftermath of Katrina. Told me he saw the floating arm of what turned out to be a 6 y/o boy. Also said he say a man shoot his sister in the head over a bag of ice. I wouldn’t live anywhere on the Gulf Coast. That being said, there aren’t any places in the country that I know of where some kind of disaster doesn’t strike.
@@SEAZNDragon Everyone has risk. Some more than others. Anyone on a waterfront is 100% going to flood, so they have more risk than average.
And too much politics and not enough logic within the system. Nevada flood rates are HIGHER than Florida! It's a damn desert! No hurricanes, no tornadoes, no big hail. Rains twice a year!
And if insurance fails to pay what it is contractually obligated, there should be a big penalty that goes to the policy holder. Maybe 2 or 3 times the actual damages. They might think twice before shorting a claim.
The whole system is just fouled up.
@@bliss4383 Here in the desert. No hurricanes, no tornadoes. No big hail. No volcanoes. No major earthquakes. No blizzards. No freezing rain. Very low risk of natural disasters here. HOWEVER... Nevada flood insurance rates are HIGHER than Florida! Florida should be 4 times higher. Politics are to blame.
The insurance lobby spends over $150,000,000. Pharmacy spends over twice that. So we don't get much of a break that's a lot of money they need to rip us for to make up for it.
The lobby needs to be severely regulated. Congress doesn't work for us and that's why so many are multimillionairs.
Like, for real. Your lobby system is legalised influence peddling
@@MarcelaElviraTimis You can thank the Republican presidents since Eisenhower for this reality. The supreme Court majority has mostly been Republicans and it was the Republicans on the Supreme Court that did away with campaign finance laws for individuals over the course of three cases: 1976 Buckley Vallejo, 1978 Bilotti, and of course the mother of all cases that gave corporations way more power than average people, Citizens United 2010.
No other democracy in the world allows a group of unelected rich people to decide which laws are constitutional and which are not. The Constitution as written did not give the supreme Court that power. Scotus took that power for itself in 1803's Marbury v Madison. John Adams was president at the time. John Adams himself was never a rich man but he really liked rich people and he didn't trust average citizens to vote correctly. So John Adams did not challenge the supreme Court's taking of that power to itself, that power that was not written into the constitution. That's they still have it.
@@Madronaxyz Correctamundo 💯
So congress only costs $150,000,000- lol.
@@MarcelaElviraTimis It's called bribery/corruption and it was legalized under Citizen's United by the f***king Supreme Court.
Excellent video showing what seems obvious examples of corruption and economic crimes by insurance companies. Thoroughly disgusting.
@Robert Schlesinger, Well that's US of A!
@@acerrome9672 I agree; always was like that and probably always will be like that.
@@robertschlesinger1342 That kind of thinking is a great way to ensure nothing changes or gets worse.
@@acerrome9672 Greed.
you are right, i remember early last year when i lost everything it was so frustrating for me until i meet Vivian Klaine Morgan, she help me recovered my lost
Frontline & NPR great job as usual. I'm glad we can rely on your team for unbiased information in today's media landscape.
Trump is bad, Trump is Hitler. - NPR (real, unbiased opinions)
@@alexjuewez1287 Get a life.
Npr sucks, especially on the radio...leftist script readers
Insurance companies being dishonest? Shocking!
The problem in the US is that it's not just insurance companies. It's every industry that lobbies congress. There are so many politicians who are being bribed to legislate on industry's behalf. I was a documentary piece recently where Michael Bloomberg had stopped the public housing and claimed his government would let the market run affordable housing. A lot of the buildings or apartments that the city of New York owned were sold to property speculators. Now people who qualify for affordable housing, still have their housing designated to them by the government, who then pay the owners of the buildings every month.
One woman that was interviewed showed some paperwork that stated the City Of New York was paying the owner of the apartment she was living in $2,700 a month to rent, but other tenants in the building that were not a part of the affordable housing scheme were only paying $900 a month in rent. All that happened in that instance was that Bloomberg was scheming with his rich friends to rip off the city.
That sort of thing seems to happen all the time.
@@Ozvideo1959 That’s absolutely disgusting. It’s even more atrocious absolutely nothing is done about it or legislation is passed to actively make it worse.
@@thelouster5815 I remember in that documentary the woman said "give me the 2700 dollars, I could find a way better place than this"
The apartment she was renting had a bunch of building code violations, none of which had been fixed. Stuff like power points missing with exposed wiring, lights hanging from the ceiling, plumbing problems etc.
So the city of New York, or rather the taxpayer, is being ripped off to the tune of $1800 a month for an apartment that is not fit for habitation.
Insurance is a Scam!
--Louiss Rossman.
George Carlin concept:"It's a big club and you ain't in it."
I am at about 38 minutes into watching this documentary and I have this one question. Why on earth is the government trusting billions of dollars to a person to lead an organization that has never been a real estate investor or construction contractor ever? With this kind of money on the line, you don’t learn how to do this as you go. Simply put, go straight to the experts who put up houses day in and day out on the regular.
This is a Work from the Gouvermant with the Endowment Effeckt .😉👍
The People on the Top Understand more from your self as your self.
With the Endowment Effeckt made the Gouvernement the People to his Slaves or the People do this self.
Im a Psychologic Expert with out a Dr from Germany and I can you Tell many other the Menthal Problems from the Humans or his Menthal Defizits.
I work with the Psycho Analytics at this Time so 20 yeas .
Im a Philosopher from Germany without a Dr too and I made extrem Pressure in Germany with so Themes .
I send all Peoplein my Land to the Psychologic Dr or the Eyes from the People on this Themes.😉👍😂😂😂
You must Understand the Logik, this is what this crasy World Need.
The People have all a Massiv Problem with his Order of Sense.
All People have a Proplem with the Endowment Effeckt or with the Attribute error or with the Dunning Kruger Effekt.
Waht can a Human how Trump do with this Problems and with the People the Nothing Understand from this Problem.
This made it Visible how Trump work,s or a mass other People .
The Question is who Understand more from this Deficit's and who can better Work with this.
This is a Manipulation Game and the Folk or all the Humans made his self to is own Viktim.
This is a bad Cirkle or round here .
The gate is Visible bud the People Understand this not.
The Human has a Massiv Problem with his Order of Sense .
Im a Pusher from the Politik in Germany.
I made many Pressure with my Words from Time to Time in Germany.
Waht the Human Needs is more Selbstreflexion and the Right Words then the Right Words made the Problem better Visible.
A Problem is the most People say from his Self ,Im a Intelligent Person and Im Understand the Logik and I Need this Not.
I Need this and you Need this and Anybody Need the Psychologic Analytics and this Understand the most People not and this is the Error or very Bad.
On this way made we us to a Viktim from us self or better the Most People .
The Dunning Kruger Effekt can we set on this Point.
This made the Problem Visible.😉👍
There is a I Person waht sas Im Understand all and this Person Understand Nothing.
This Problem can I Visit better as the most People.
We Humans of this World have Massiv Problem with Cognetive Problems.
The Bias List made the Problems Visible and the Problem with the Order of Sense.
The Humans or any Person has a Proplem with his own Mind .
The Human is not how a Bird or a Fisch he must Find the sense or were his place is.
This made the Humans many Problems and the Bias and more Deficit's and Words made this Visible.
I Speak with you Not over the Word Sense I Talk over the Power from this Word.
This is not Toucheble for the most People.
We must Understand the Best People how Kant or Hegel or Martin Heodeger have it not see how Inmpotant the Word Sense is.
I beelive i am the First Human that see how Important this Word is .
Nothing can Exist without this or the Power from this Word ,not the Logik ,the Mater ,the Reason ,or the Love.
Here in this the Universe is Nothing what can Exist without the Sense.
Stop there is one Thing and this is the Thimles Time and the Room without a Room ,there is nore Mater and there is no Move.
From this Place comes the Sense ,the Sense give his self the Sense.
The Sense is the Hardest Methaphisicel Word what we can Find and we can Put the First Thinks in the Universe on this Untoucheble Energie.
The First Thinks can we see is the Order the Chaos and the Move and this made the Conssciosness in this Universe only Possible.
The Endowment Effeckt made Illusionens and this Illusionens can we Put on More Defizits.
Waht here Visible is this os a Mass Psychosis and this is not Funny or good vor us alls or the Word.
In Germany tell I the Human is how a Lemminge ,the Lemming sinks in the Sea or in a River and with or Thank us the Humans Sinks all of the World.
This can we Put on the Tribe from us and the Mony.
I See you Talk over Mony and the Problems with this ,and that you many Not Understand.
I Hope this made it better Visible for you were we can Find the Roots from the most Problems.
The Red List or the Poisen of the Earth or the fire in the Dschungel ,the Destroyed Structure from the World can we put on this Effekt.
Waht is the Price for A Bottle Water in the Desser in a Bad Situation or Wat is this Water on a River with better Water and More from this.
This made it Visible how we can Play with the Price or with the System in us.
The Humans or all Humans have the same Problem with his Ground Setting or with his Mind.
Waht all People Need is a Leson ,or a better self Reflexion.
This Word waht I write here can help to Understand the Problem better.
This made it Visible waht with you not O.k is or with me or with the Next Person.
I hope the Psycho Analytics is in the Next Time your Best Frind my Frind.😉👍
Lose the Logik not or say not im need this not ,then this is not so good.
Nobody is Pefekt and this made it Visible that all People need this.
The Safety has here a Price and this os not good better is the Safety has not a Price.
The Price on the First Place is not so good hor the Safety on the First Place.
This made the Endowment Effeckt and the Illusions around him Visible.
My Englisch is not Perfekt i Hope You Understand this.
Its very simple to Understand.
Edward Barnays is a Important Person in this Game ,then the Most People at this time or any Person is a Viktim from this man ,and the Modern Psychologic War.
The People puls his self in the Hell and the People ,cut self his own Senses.
The True is Visible she is at the Front from us ,bud the most People will this not see.
The Endowment Effeckt is how the Dunning Kruger Effekt a Perfekt Bridge or a Start Point to many Problems on this Earth.
The World and all People can we see and any Person is a Viktim from the Time and the Other People and from the Streams about or Around us .
I hope this Message made you the Deppes Problems better Visible.
I t is not Easy to find it out were the Ground is for this Problems or that we can say the Sense ist the Heavywighte Word of the World.
I have Nobod found or not a Person that see how Important this own Word is.
Not Buddha or Hegel or Martin Heideger had it Visit how Important this Word is .
And is not thr Word it is the Energie on this Word what it made so Important.
Nothing can Exist without the Sense and Nothing watt Sensles Works has a long Time here in This Universe.
The Sense is the Order the Chaos and the Move and the Time vector.
On all this can we Put the Sense .
See in the Mirror and move your Conssciosness up.
This is the Universe in the Mirror and it Visit his self with us or through us.
The Human had a Proplem with his Ego and the most People can not see the Right way.
We can say the Life or the Universe has a Proplem with his ego.
I visit it from Time to Time from more sides.
This is better and this made more Visible from the Problems.
O.k this is for the First time enough .
I hope this Message made you more Visible were we can Find the Badest Problems from us all.
I hope this is a good Answear for your Questions.😉👍
Nepotism and/or corruption.
good question, which this otherwise good documentary failed to cover. maybe they did and their editor was told to cut it out?
federal agencies are headed by political appointees, named by special interest groups that contributed to the winning Presidential party
insurance agencies contribute to both parties hence they get to name their overseer/patsy
FEMA is hardly alone, as the system is designed to keep government incompetent while media could unveil problems so long they do not endanger the system
It's called corruption!
@@Baba-fy1jc get your own channel or write a book! That was long!
Your work as a reporter is what the government and oversight powers are supposed to do! Thank you for your hard work and impact in exposing fruad.
I just finished this and sent it to my entire family chat. A lot of them were luckily spared by Sandy but know people who are still dealing with this bureaucratic hell. I just hope the people that were affected by these storms are able to get back into their houses
Why? You know climate change is only getting worse right? All costal property along the U.S is going to get destroyed like this in the coming decades. Rebuilding in the same spot is madness.
Also goes to show how politicians visiting disaster areas is one of the mostly useless PR grandstand attempts that accomplishes nothing. Yet year after year people still fall for the fake BS.
In 2022,😳Wow! Not surprised.
@@Praisethesunson, just so I'm clear, is it your suggestion that people be forced to liquidate their existing high-hazard properties and relocate?
If it is; should everyone be required to develop further inland?
Would this standard apply to high-hazard properties of the tornado alley region? earthquake areas? wildfire zones?
How about properties affected by the hazards of snow-melt in mountainous areas, or arroyo events in a desert region?
Can you identify where your proposed relocation strategy ensures the least exposure to any potential hazards?
Also, after everyone has relocated, does your strategy include a reliable plan for re-establishing an employment base; so your newly-formed, high-density, urban-center population has adequate earning opportunities available when they arrive?
Sorry for the sarcasm; but, I hope it helped you see why a "relocation" scheme isn't as simple as it may first appear...
@@NunYaO Lol you silly baby. The tides don't care about your argument. That costal development will be under the sea. The move will have to happen. That isn't a debate. Your BS that the movement would take work and spooky planning, isn't the knock against relocation you think it is.
Also FYI, California is going to have to deal with the wildfire issue. Cause about a fifth of it's population is living in the range of wildfire. That will eventually force those people to move.
The question about whether or not homes should be lifted should not have been left to the homeowners, quite honestly. It would be unpopular, but the rule should have been that every uninhabitable ground-level home needed to be razed and replaced with a new, elevated home. If you have a ground-level home on a barrier island in Florida that gets wiped out in a storm, you do not get to rebuild it just like it was. The rule is, you can finish off the first floor, but you can't put plumbing there and you can't put bedrooms there, and any finishing work you do on that ground floor is not covered by insurance. It would have been cheaper to build new houses up on stilts for most of these folks than it was to lift a damaged house into the air and then repair it.
Now, the question is, are the residents of Staten Island okay with the character of their neighborhoods changing from what it was to a line of beach homes on stilts? And don't forget, there's good reason to say, well, it doesn't really matter how you feel about it, you replace it with an elevated home or you sell off the lot to someone who will. There are going to be more Sandys and Katrinas. How many times do we want to pay to rebuild homes that will be destroyed more and more often in the coming decades?
Accountability . . . knowledge of said past activity must be bought 'to the fore,- must be considered, before any BUCKS are passed 😬
This is exactly correct. It is the only possible way r this program to survive. The taxpayers cannot pay 4 someone bad choice to live in an area that will repeatedly b destroyed just because they think it's pretty there. If one wants to live there that is your choice but u need to have the funds or insurance on ur own to repair it. What happens is these people all get supported by everyone else 4 buying homes in bad areas. 1 time yes, we help it's America but not over and over when it's a proven problem area. Just because people built homes there b4 does not mean it is a wise place to continue to build. These neighborhoods would have been better off being leveled block by block and new homes built. Then many more would b in a home again. You can't b choosy if u r asking for free help. Not trying to b mean but these neighborhoods r now ridiculous with some old homes lifted some new, some on the ground, some. Vacant. It is not possible for the government to build each home separately and it b fair or work out good at all. Where is the engineering firms the civic planners, the hard choices being made 4 everyone as a whole not each individual house. It makes no sense it's chaos. Of course this would b the problem.
Exactly. Just relocate these people and prohibit building on flood-prone land.
As a person at sea level, in Florida, who went thru a cat 5 hurricane......I AGREE WITH THAT!!!☝️
Agree. How much of this is motivated by the denial of climate change?
I worked in the Diaster Relief program through the Small Business Administration in 2003. I see that nothing in this entire system has changed. The program is intended for those who are under insured or without insurance. I started out simply fielding calls and setting up callbacks. I ended up processing claims. I would actually have to call victims and tell them that nothing was going to happen to help them through the government. Mike Brown was the big shot then, who later was responsible for the Katrina disaster, and it seems he same incompetence reigns in all these entities. Every time this type of thing is exposed the same things happen: the hearings drag on, some small reforms are given without adequate oversight, homeowners will be left hanging and every single company that contracts with the government and insurance agencies will walk away with profits and bonuses.
Yep....hurricane Charley survivor and it was a nightmare, many elderly died, after the fact, and almost everyone lost their properties and moved away because there was no rebuilding assistance
The government needs to get out of the disaster business except for rescues. Rebuilding is the responsibility of the property owner and their insurance company. I don't want to assume anyone's risk except my own.
@@susiefairfield7218 Wow! That is so sad. I don't live in the U.S., but I was wondering what happened to the properties after those poor people lost their properties and moved away -- whether the properties were snapped up for cheap, or just abandoned, etc...?
How me and my wife felt when we lost everything in floods a few years ago. Got 10k from fema and that was it. On 120k total loss of property
@@JamesCook76131 What kind of insurance. Some people gamble, have no coverage then expect taxpayers to make them whole again. That's wrong.
I should not be expected to help pay for someones waterfront property. However, if you were fully insured and they refused to pay what they were contractually obligated, there should be consequences. Like paying you double your loss. Let the insurance companies know that if they get caught ripping people off, they will end up paying way more. And not a fine. The money should go to the person they jerked around.
Either way, the government needs to get out of the disaster business.
Thanks for such good reporting and digging deep into the terribly corrupt world of how government programs and insurance companies work to rip off those in need. It would be better if people did not live in such vulnerable areas to begin with, especially going through this more than once. Great coverage and information!
they do it with automotive insurance too unfortunately. i know someone with a flooded engine and stollen that was denied ( there excuse sofar is it was a act of god lol 😂no way thats a bad guy's and your on the hook to pay for it and or your turn to sue the purps ) interestingly its in a mountain desert 🌵aka it can't float in sea water and had full coverage anyways if it did so = should have been covered no matter what
It's only in capitalist America
@@khongjkc Not true, Sir. In Plato's "The Republic:, he explains how this occurred in Athens 2800+ years ago, and in older market economies. China growth is being built by using Western financing, and "fractional" banking practices. If you are familiar with "fractional banking", you'd know that if you and I did the same, we'd be imprisoned for fraud.
crittercrossing, mam, had did the government flood program do to get labeled corrupt? For goodness sake, developers were building in flood plains and insurance companies were cool with it cause there was only short term upside profits. Now their golden goose is on its last leg and unsustainable, and now the Government is immoral for being abused?
Unfortunately, nothing changes
I live in Peterborough Ontario Canada. In 2004, we had a 1000 year flood. This followed a 100 year flood 2 years proir. Things in Canada are a lot different from in America by how government is run as well as many other parts involving business. I'm just stating that to say, really, apples and oranges. When we had the flood in 2004, the city gained access to emergency funds for those who needed it. Flood insurance is often not available here. There were people who lived on the 9th floor of an appartment building who were not affected by the flood whatsoever who got cheques for a lot of money! I, on the other hand, had 5 feet of raw sewage in the basement, had 3 ft in diameter holes knocked out of tge foundation of the house, a landlord who refused to let us get our dirt floor basement pumped out (Victorian area home), had part of the roof collapse from such extreme storm, had no hydro for days, no hot water for over a month (whole city was on back order for hot water tanks). I missed a LOT of time off work having to do the clean up without pay etc. My bf and I got a cheque for a whopping 2 dollars!!! Goes to show ya, we all get ripped off everywhere when floods happen.
Thanks for sharing! It just shows the money never goes to where its needed!
Well 2 countries doesn’t equal everywhere.
In my southeast asian country, insurance companies do not cover flood & hurricane for houses & cars as told by my friends.
They call them belonging to a category
" wrath of God" and considers flood & storm a calamity.
Fire is part of house insurance. Our country is prone to flood & hurricane per yr. Many Hurricanes pass by our country.
Why will I insure our house if there are so many " exclusions?" That is why, when flood damage houses in our country, we are on our own.
Yes govt can help with clothes, food. Same with kind citizens.
But usually, we are om our own.
Insurance exists for only one purpose. That purpose is to funnel money to the pockets of executives.
Excellent point!!
You need to be responsible enough to document your assets properly so when you make a claim, it's clear what your loss is. It must be able to hold up in court because it may end up there.
@Unknown User not true. Nothing in the story indicated that the government got the money. Repeatedly they pointed out how private insurance had a 30% profit margin. The loss of democracy in the United States caused by Republican justices on the supreme Court is the primary problem. No other democracy in the world has a group of unelected people who have the power to throw out laws passed by elected representatives. The Constitution specifically said that the supreme Court did not have that right but that it only had the right to be the final court of appeals on lawsuits I m
Same with charities.
@Unknown User Correctamundo 🎯
Don’t know how they do it, but Frontline hits another one out of the park.
It probably seems that way, because what we see on a daily basis, is no longer journalism.🤷
Except they are just reairing old content. Love Frontline, but they haven't been putting out much new coverage. DW from Germany has more content and most new
This is the kind of high quality journalism that only publicly funded media can provide. Corporate media has too many vested interests to be truly objective
They do it be having many production assistants.
4
Watching this from the UK and it makes me feel sick. The government national disaster programme needs an overhaul. How can a family be still waiting 3 years later to move back into their home and be paying a mortgage, rent and flood defence insurance. Unbelievable.
I don't understand this either, it's beyond sick, but we have the largest superfund site in the world just south of us and the federal government is inept.
Insurance companies ALWAYS have the incentive to underpay.
The different here is that this is not their money. It is the goverment and tex payers money.
@@CT-gc5rt Taxpayers underpay because they need those tax dollars to pay for missiles to blow up school children across the globe.
Never let a disaster go to waste, get 💰
Hi. I'm from Pfizer. I like the way you think! Need a job?
Well said!
This is the same thing happened in Puerto Rico.
I did tree work in Nassau County cleaning debris from storm retaining ponds. I met so many great people. I remember the tens of thousands of balls in each retaining pond. Every lost tennis ball, racquet ball, baseball, softball etc made it down there.
It is well-known that insurance companies are in the business of not paying out claims by any means possible. So this is sadly not surprising...
Insurance companies are not in the business to pay out claims. Their brokers and investors are the ones who suffer the most because of the overhead and the cost of inflation when hiring workers to do the job. Much like when a nurse or a doctor screws up in a hospital and the patient tries to make a claim and gets shot down when a loop-hole presents itself in the insurance document. Companies do not intend or do not pay claims because of the corporate level red tape that is involved. Nobody wins when it comes to insurance owners. The last person I read about who had filed a claim to keep himself alive using drugs to fight his cancer died when his insurance adjuster presented a seldom used clause that prevented him the right to fair treatment. All because he was on a different medical program such as blue cross. And like a homeowner, insurance companies look for those well hidden clauses that prevents payouts when a disaster hits such as sandy. All insurance companies really are - are a well oiled pyramid scheme that has congress backing them up just in case it ever went to trial or claims court. And nearly ninety nine percent of those cases were always won by the corporations. Yet the few homeowners who do win will never get a fair amount because of sheer pressure of having to be bought out. It always ends in a settlement far below the set amount.
When you want any truth from government follow the money it always shows the facts and evidence of who and why
The thing people forget is that since Ronald Reagan, corporations have gradually taken over the government. It's called regulatory capture. It started because of two supreme Court decisions in the 1970s, Buckley v Vallejo and Billati. Citizens united put industry control of government on steroids in 2010. Less government won't lessen industry control.
I followed the money and it showed that Pfizer was the one who got the most out of this pandemic. They even wanted US military bases in countries in return for vaccines
@@khongjkc look how many leaders have investments in vaccines that's why they are with Fauci and gates who are promoting the whole charade
After Super Storm Sandy hit NJ in 2012....I was still so surprised that years later a lot of people had not their homes rebuilt
You are the arte of America. There is no greater compliment. I love you.
A FASCINATING AND WELL PRODUCED PROGRAM.....THE NPR WOMAN IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR HER EXCELLENT INVESTIGATION.............DAMN THOSE INSURANCE COMPANIES !!!
Holy shit this sounds like VA claims. I think I have more PTSD from dealing with the run around than combat.
I have seen illegals been approved for ss disability benefits in 5 months.Combat veterans usually takes 3-15 years to get approve for federal disability benefits.It's so depressive.
if thats true then they should deny your claim. that, or its a sad state of readiness for our armed forces. the new WOKE military, i guess.
@@sourcesin its abt knowing the right doctor theres at least 1 dirty doctor in every town who can get claims everytime criminals usually know that guy
Ground hog day ..
This Frontline agent is excellent at her job.
If there is a god, Frontline is doing their work. Truly a masterpiece in investigative journalism.
That guy’s story makes me so mad. Dude does everything that he is supposed to do. He paid his policy and bough the maximum coverage. Then he gets his own appraisal when they lowball him. Then he has to hire an attorney cause they still won’t pay.
Wtf? I hope he gets a big court award because that is vexatious refusal.
Further in the documentary, and i am disappointed with that settlement.
Well said. Man v Big insurance companies. You can't win.
'People are profiting unfairly from other people's misery'.
This is the core of confusion on Earth; the serpent in the garden.
This only happens in capitalist America
@@khongjkc If you think that greed and taking advantage of the needy is an American way of life, you must not know much about the world.
Sounds to me like those with flood insurance should get a written inspection verifying there is no damage, regularly, to have their proof if a flood happens.
my sister owned a house on the new jersey shore,she was trying to sell this house for year.the government gave her more money for her house than she was trying to sell it for,she always says,thank god for sandy.i used to go to the shore,the people there cant wait until everybody comes there with their money,but they cant wait until you leave. There were many people scamming the government when sandy hit.
Thank you pbs! As a hurricane Katrina victim , you should expect nothing from the govt sadly
I would love to get a 2022 update!
2022 UPDATE: Nothing has changed, only become more elaborate.
Update my home damages from Hurricane Florence 2018 is still unlivable. Insurance Companies, mortgage companies, etc want the home owner to pay for damages or they can say the home owner allowed further damages to occur so they don’t have to pay anything!🤬 I’ve cried & have been denied what was covered even when I paid outta pocket. I had them tell me get a 2nd mortgage. I’m widowed & have a handicapped daughter which they could care less about.
I just want the right to live in a home my late husband & I worked all our lives have.
I live in NC I’m not on the water but it’s near by & our home was only 9yrs old which we bought brand new I’m at the end of my rope. My late husband served 20yrs in the Marines & another 16 with the Post Office before he passed THESE AGENCIES DONT CARE ABOUT US, OR HOW HARD WEVE WORKED.
@@cynthiacolbert4172 I feel for you. I am in Colorado. It’s beautiful here. It might be worthwhile to move. Hurricanes happen every year. It seems like living in a hurricane area is a big gamble.
@@cynthiacolbert4172 âeeeeeeereeeeeeeeeeeee
@@cynthiacolbert4172we'reeeeeeeee eeeee3ee
in New Zealand we have earth quake and war damage insurance funded by our government. Our heaith care is also free.
America: “But that’s Communism and Communism creates famines and gulags!!!”
Whoop dee fucking do Reginald
Free...sure bud
Nothing is free! What are your taxes like?
Everything comes with cost
Thank you for showing this
Wow, real reporting.. didnt think it still existed!
An update on a 6 year old story of a corrupt insurance and FEMA system would be not a bad thing.
Yeah, some employees of FEMA make only 5 bucks an hour
With covid and future climate changes, we need to investigate FEMA BIG TIME
Good job Frontline keep up the good work you do😊😊 Been watching your show for many yrs now since I was a teenager. Look.forward to your next ones😊
Fantastic coverage of this important issue!!!
This is too sickening to watch. FEMA pays the insurance company lawyers in a lawsuit and pay the homeowners lawyers zero!!!! WTF.
Welcome to America
The frequency of Superstorms is on the rise and the intensity continues to increase as the decades roll-on. Climate change, sea water rise, natural disasters are only going to get worse. The insurance companies already understand these risks and are moving to exploit the people. The government is complicit, the private sector continues to siphon more money to the top, and CEOs make a record bank while the people suffer.
Harrp weather “military device”
Storms are not increasing. Hurricanes are not more powerful or frequent.
Water rises and water falls. Glaciers grow and glaciers recede. For 90% of Earth history, there has been NO ice at the poles. None. We are still emerging from an ice age. Not long ago, northern cities were covered with 2000 feet of ice. It melted. As the Earth naturally warms, people will thrive as they have throughout history. Cold. That's where the danger is.
Thank you for the video
Scarred coastline and vacant lots still exist on the south shore of Long Island a decade later. My heart sinks whenever I see, years on, that people are permanently displaced from their communities. Someone has to have a rotting soul to be able to sleep at night after denying claims for devastated homeowners.
I lost my mom in hurricane Sandy Numb is an understatement
I'm so sorry.
So sorry ZEN ❤🤗
@@missmodern Ty
@@susiefairfield7218 Thank you now my dad to what's going on now. Im so over this happening to our country and them not helping the people idc how wealthy one is or isn't .
So sorry for your loss!...😭🙏
The Gov't should not be in the flood insurance business. The tax payers are subsidizing people who want to live near the beach, but do not want to assume the always looming risk of a flood or storm. There is a reason insurance companies do not want to write flood policies in flood-prone areas (Way too risky) Why should the rest of us subsidize these people who live on the beach?
Even our nation's capital is considered at risk...there is a bigger problem. It's called climate change. These stories have been playing out in Florida for a big part of my lifetime. Fema basically is actively buying out properties to return to barrier green space as our coastlines are receding. Try getting insurance here. Even on high ground and inland, insurance companies have
pulled out. They still advertise we can save money by bundling...they shouldn't be allowed to air those commercials.
@@tammystansell406 'Climate Change' -is nothing more than 'weather.' Our environment is constantly changing and has been in flux since its creation. The primary variable is solar activity -not man. People conveniently ignore the fact our planet revolves around a GIANT ball of fire a MILLION+ times the size of our planet.
You also have quite a bit of volcanic activity which puts out MUCH more carbon dioxide (which plants need to survive) than man. Study the Ring of Fire. It has been quite active the past 20 yrs.
Did ancient man cause the Ice Age to end ten thousand years ago. Too many cave fires perhaps....?
I would never buy a home in a place I could not afford or obtain insurance unless I was wealthy and could absorb the loss myself.
@@mikep4745 The scientific community agrees manmade climate change is what is happening. I challenge you to find a reputable scientist or study that says otherwise. I'm well aware of primary school science regarding pollutants, naturally occurring gases in the environment, and what volcanic activity is, etc. The larger point to be made is, it's not just rich people living on the beach that find themselves in this situation. No place is safe from the affects of climate change and severe natural disasters occuring with greater frequency world wide. Follow what's going on in the Arctic for the last two summers? The Atlantic conveyer is also a big concern for those that study it. Kind of "Day After Tomorrow" scenario. If you are following, sooner than you may like, everyone's insurance will go up if you think they will actually pay you in good faith for any claim at all. Migrations are already occuring , but just where is a good place?
@@tammystansell406 No, the 'scientific community' does not agree. Granted, gov't funded scientists they parade on the Idiot Box agree. I believe almost nothing the TV tells me. Generally speaking, the opposite is usually more accurate. But that is me. You do you.
Think what you like. It is a free country (sorta/for now). However, understand those preaching this 'science' to the masses do not live their lives like they truly believe it. (Traveling via yachts, private jets, limo's and living in multiple mansions, etc.)
Where is a good place...? Good question. I would say anyplace away from major population centers with a reasonable climate that suits you.
Rich enough to live there but too cheap to buy adequate insurance. Fuck them...let them drown. Coastal communities just rip off people who just want to visit.
PBS stand with the people need help.Great investigation video reporting program.Thanks.
Thank You
These insurance companies are crooks in suits. Give people what they paid for.
It's called Disaster Capitalism.
Naomi Klein has a very good book on it called 'The Shock Doctrine'.
This is truly heartbreaking. I feel so bad for the people who are suffering from "both disasters" 1st it was Sandy and the 2nd was the relief funds being taken by insurance companies and profiteers who don't have a sense of decency to do the right thing but line their pockets.
Thank You for this.
I'm sympathetic to what these people are going through. But people should stop living near coastlines, Rivers and areas prone to wildfires. This is too problematic and expensive to maintain. Yeah I know easier said than done.
Okay but most Americans are finding themselves in areas that could be susceptible to flooding and fires. There is no place safe anymore. They could move off the coastline and just get to another area prone to disasters. This problem is hugely climate change and a shitty American insurance system.
@@MeepieNom why do you use the word American?
@@theccpisaparasite8813 is their another word I should use
If most people would stop buying homes near the shorelines, I'll bet my good leg that they would start to offer more protection for those areas because THEY'D be losing money!
@@theccpisaparasite8813 cuz this documentary was about America. 🤦🏼♀️
"People are profiting off of other peoples misery unfairly". Yup, it's called capitalism. Ain't it grand.
😒 Oh, like any “system” is perfect.
Better capitalism then some of the other systems out there.
Why don’t you move to North Korea, sure you will love filling out the new manure quota there.
@ruby diamonds in capitalism man exploits his fellow man. In communism it's the other way around.
@ruby diamonds I'm from the Nordics. Notice how the Nordic countries are considered paradise by every single metric from education to health care, from life expectancy to overall happiness. To me the US always looks and feels like a 3rd world country when I'm there, compared to what I'm used to back home.
@@equarg I'm from the Nordics, from Finland. So I'm good thanks. I'll just go back home to a country consistently in the top 3 in every metric worth comparing internationally, the best education, the lowest corruption and crime rates, among the best health care systems in the world, and in the biggest trade block in the world. :)
@@liveoak227 You should probably read more history.
Thank you for sharing.
thanks PBS for a 5 1/2 year old show. I thought PBS stood for PUBLIC Broadcasting Service, why not give us the current complete programming.
This is Frontline's UA-cam channel where they post old and promote new programs. If you want to see new programs, watch your local PBS channel.
This frontline agent is excellent in her mission.
Put homes in flood areas on large scissor lifts, and incorporate it into the house price.
When a storm surge hits, hit the button to lift your house up.
Thank you Frontline for sharing your discovery. It certainly is an eye opener. So sad😢
Amazing job, so much hard work. Thank
You don't know until you find out how complex as its.
That "Ocean View" is expensive.
Great work from Frontine.
I worked for a disaster relief company after my hometown got flooded.
We were treated like weekend slaves...
Company made big $$$
Wonderful doccumentary, Frontline are one of the best...thankyou, from New Zealand
Your reporting is Top Notch and always an example of professionalism & truth. Thanks
Thank you so much for this
another great episode from frontline.👏👏👏👏👏👏
Frankly, I saw this when it came out in 2016. I'm not going to watch it because it's so disgusting. My daughter works in the insurance industry. From the time she was 18 I always encouraged her to go to a legitimate University and get a Bachelor's and Masters in whatever she was interested in. It didn't happen that way, she went to a small State college and then started working for a attorney. Later on she got hired by a major medical insurance company. She reviews adjustments and files on claims. It's probably good money and probably so depressing. I say find a subject your excited about and pursue it. Nobody wants to deal with hurt people 8 hours a day and pressure that insurance companies put on their employees to settle claims. Such a bad business to be in. My daughter is hurting!!
frontline = relaxing
Eye opening for sure!
if by law we have to insure our homes, then by law they must cover the cost. no matter what.
Insurance companies are totally not legit for most customers, especially the low income older home and car owners.
without insurance, the first emergecy anyone encountered would destroy them financially. this is a very childlike, narrow view.
the best part of this vid is when youtube decided to suddenly cut to an ads that was selling home insurances that claimed to be trust worthy because it's back by the government programs, while this vid is showing how you can't trust those insurances.
Incredibly well done. Be nice to do a 2022 update
On the "Build It Back" program for NYC, that couple made a decision NOT to purchase flood insurance. Why does anybody owe them anything?
Such great reporting. Inspiring.
I love the documentaries because they are very in-depth. This one however bothers me because it illustrates the redtape of just one of the programs that the government has put into place. The red tape that the government puts in place to get things done is atrocious and I think that things do need to change because if they don’t the things that we care about and the things that we love will be destroyed and that hurts and gives me sleepless nights. Thanks for your attention to the comment!
This is why a lot of us on the right feel that the less the government touches, the better. As the gentleman said in the film, big, slow, buerocratic” in describing government programs. If your mechanic is terrible, you can rate him on Google, Facebook etc and he will either change his business or someone better will take his place as your mechanic. Try going into the DMV and rating the treatment you receive. It doesn’t happen and it doesn’t matter. Granted, we need government for a lot of things so it’s a complicated issue, but there is way too much waste that lines the pockets of those in power. I truly feel for these people.
@@MrGflan You really believe it would be better with less government? Insurance companies in that case legal wouldn't pay crap.
@@mikew2610 I know what you are saying, and capitalists need to be regulated or greed would take over. I just hate seeing so much wasted time and money with the way the government handles certain things. With no competition, there is no reason to do quality work.
@@MrGflan on On very many car repairs, most people don't have the knowledge to know when their mechanic has short changed them. Or the problem shows up later. Go back and read The jungle by Sinclair Lewis. What the meat industry did before there was any government regulation.
@@Madronaxyz oi leave us mechanics out if it! Lol
Everyone who owns a home should take pictures of their house every 3 months to always have documentation of the house... And it's so unjust what these peoples have to go through on their insurance policy. They are we need more transparency.
1 year later and am living in the aftermath of hurricane Ian. Happy New Year 2023 and no FEMA ..no Insurance Pay outs..in sight... Garbage is still lining all the roads ..over two months...wheels are slowly in motion... Feel so bad for those whose homes were totally destroyed still living without power and or plumbing and or AC. Recovering is the hardest part
good documentary
This is the insurance game unfortunately. So much stalling so the higher ups can get a profit.
Second time watching this programs and is 👍👍👍 AMAZING love it.
Thanks 🎉
PLEASE dig more into the FEMA trailer scandal. Up here in Nor Cal, it took YEARS for many people to be taken care of. The trailers are an easy way to find the money. There have been some stories done on them, but I've never seen and tracing off the money trail. There's millions of taxpayers money being spent on those deathtraps. Then they come take them away, regardless if you have a new home or not. There must be a better solution.
They were sold to individuals cheap. Then they sold them for profit. There were several where I live. He wanted 16,000 a piece!,
Plus those trailers are extremely toxic making people sick! 💔
Something like this could definitely happen again with storms getting stronger
storms arent any stronger, there are more people, cameras, and news
@@billyumbraskey8135 Science and data says otherwise. Good try.
@@blaydCA I’m not agreeing or disagreeing but isn’t it crazy how hard it is to find solid truth. Try to look up “are storms getting stronger” half say yes half say no. It’s hard to find reliable info
@@kevinscott9279 While the internet does bring the news faster, AND in times past there have been storms far worse than what has recently transpired, the frequency, duration and force has increased. This is from personal observation and scientific data over my many years. Sadly for those who are recently born it's going to be a major adaptation. I'll be long dead when their suffering really kicks in. Gonna be a lot of "climate refugees" from USA, nevermind the global picture.
@@blaydCA no, they dont. Theres an ever increasing capacity for observation. You dont have the same breadth and veracity of data reaching back thru time to make this inference.
Some people live each year with disasters from hurricanes (floods), tornadoes, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, sinkholes, avalanches, and wildfires. I don't understand why these disasters even exist, all I do know is that we just need to know how to adapt and keep going. I stay in Dallas TX. Now we get hit by 2 disasters almost every year. We get scary tornadoes all the time, and since we're in the south, close to the gulf, we get hit by crazy floods as well . Its devastating at times, and overwhelming but we just gotta keep pushing forward. And come together as a country, whenever these disasters hit, and help as many ppl in any possible way.
Negative energy really affects the Earth's atmosphere in a very bad way causing changes in weather. It's very piwerful
Great work, thank you for this video.
If your dependent on the government your exactly where it wants you to be
That's why they depressed wages and kept allowing the cost of living to go up and up and up. Now everyone is dependent on something.
@@taylorbug9 that’s because Nixon debased the dollar by not requiring gold to back it, it’s not taught in schools 🏫
@@taylorbug9 This wasn't gov's doing, but Big Corp's, corrupt elected officials just let them do it.
@@manygatos885 I know. Most of what I've learned in my life was not learned at school.
@@sergegainsbourgii1852 fair enough. It is their job to keep the minimum wage a living wage though when they did not do that.
Bless him and his family.
i lived in perth amboy when this hit, right across the bridge from staten island. legitimately right next to a sign for the exit. i remember when the storm hit my house was the luckiest in the area. we still had power, little damage, and our huge backyard tree had not fallen like we thought. i stayed in the basement the whole time, awake and worried about the house being absolutely crushed. multiple family members came to my house over the following week to store food in our fridge because they had no electricity. i remember seeing someone on my street with a fence completely thrown against their house. a terrible sight.
if my family had to deal with this terrible flood insurance shit, i'm sure we would've been just as angry as these people. i could've passed by anyone featured in this doc in my lifetime. that makes me feel so connected and extra sympathetic towards these people. i hope they all get PROPER compensation soon
Great work Frontline! Somehow I don't believe that FEMA guy would do what he said he's gonna do....
Great Documentary. 💯💯
great job guys.
It seems this kind of investigative journalism has unfortunately become rare.