How to Make Money From Hurricanes

I am writing this article from a couple of stand points: an observational standpoint,
and an opinionated standpoint. We all read about natural disasters in the news,
and at some point sooner or later will directly or indirectly feel the impact. One
type of natural disaster I and millions of other people are familiar with, is a
hurricane.
I am a native Floridian and have spent about 35 of my 40 years living in
Florida, and have experienced hurricanes first hand. Probably the most vivid
memory was September 2004, when we were hit with Frances and Jeanne only
weeks apart. This of course was a record breaking season and many people lost everything they had. Some however, were spared.
After the first storm hit, rescue and cleanup efforts were made, and lots of help
poured in (even though it wasn't the most organized). This is where I learned about
an agency called FEMA. It stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency. Up
until September of 2004, I had never heard of it, yet it would become a household
word very quickly.
"In a nutshell," here's how things worked: If you had damage to your property,
you could file a claim to FEMA by phone (ironic, as cell phones and landline phones
were down for weeks in some areas), or if you were able- you could file a claim online.
An agent/inspector would come out and "ascess" the damage and ask questions like: "How much do you think it would cost to replace the damaged property?" Or: " How
much worth of stuff was inside that was damaged?" (In a dollar amount). Then in a few weeks (or more), FEMA would send a letter saying if you were approved or not, and tell you how much you would be getting. Then they would send a check.
This sounds pretty simple right? It sure helped a lot of people who really needed
it, but it sure opened the door for scam artists and people that can only be called: THIEF(s). In one case, I heard of a guy in West Palm Beach who had only a shingle or two missing, but in his greed he put a garde hose in his attic and turned it on for a while,
and what do you know.... Over $15,000! That's insane! Another case involved a woman (who had nothing to start with) whose trailer and contents were destroyed. She didn't even own it (her landlord did) and most of the contents were being rented; yet another FEMA check to the tune of $15,000! There were people from making claims from areas that didn't even get hit! Fact is most of these people didn't even use their new found riches for anything except a spending spree. I mean- what good is a 62 inch t.v. if you have no place to put it? Well there you have it.... how to make money from hurricanes.
This is very alarming because hurricane season begins June 1st and I don't think
some of the many crooks out there are going to get away with the same things this time. Remember, that money is your hard working tax money, and its things like what I mentioned that make it bad for the people who really need it.
Here's another way to make money from hurricanes: A contractor would "inspect" a roof (most common) for damage for the storm. He goes to Joe Homeowner and asks for half of the money upfront to get materials for the job, only he never returns. The guy's
not even licensed in Florida (or anywhere else!). Whatch out!
I previously published this article on Triond, and they removed it because some crybaby complained that it
encouraged illegal activity.I do NOT. The people that get away with this stuff are crooks.
The guy that complained about this article was an insurance adjuster, and wrote me saying that neighbors would turn people in for the type of stuff I mentioned above.
Welcome to the real world. It's corrupt, evil, and someone somewhere will always find a way to scam the good guys.