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FRONTLINE (PBS) and NPR Investigate Superstorm Recovery Efforts
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When disaster strikes, who profits?
For the past year, FRONTLINE and NPR have been investigating the answer to that question, focusing on the insurance companies that profited in the wake of Superstorm Sandy and the government agencies that were supposed to help people rebuild.
This major collaboration examines why three years after the storm, thousands of people are still not home — despite billions of dollars spent on recovery efforts.
In an hour-long documentary, Business of Disaster reveals that private insurance companies working for the government have made hundreds of millions of dollars at the same time that thousands of homeowners are claiming they have been underpaid.
“We found that disasters like Superstorm Sandy aren’t a disaster for everyone,” says NPR reporter Laura Sullivan, who along with FRONTLINE producer Rick Young and his investigative team has spent the past year digging into how Sandy recovery dollars were spent. “For some, disasters are big money. We saw thousands of storm survivors stuck in bureaucracy and red tape, insurance companies and contractors making millions in profit, federal aid not reaching homeowners – and government agencies admitting they failed in their efforts to help when people needed it most.”
The FRONTLINE and NPR investigation examines two key parts of the disaster recovery system — the federally backed flood insurance program, and the special housing aid Congress gives to local governments after major disasters — and the many complaints and problems that surfaced about them after the storm.
Through the Business of Disaster documentary, FRONTLINE and NPR show how rebuilding efforts have left disjointed communities — where some homes are elevated, some are rebuilt below sea level, and some remain destroyed – and expose lingering questions about the effectiveness and wisdom of America’s current disaster recovery system.
In an effort to understand the scope of the profits being made, the investigative team spent months collecting data on insurance company expenses and revenue, following a complex money trail. The investigation explores allegations that insurance companies systematically underpaid thousands of homeowners on their flood insurance claims, and delves into how much the billions in housing aid sent to local governments like New York City is actually helping homeowners.
Business of Disaster includes revealing interviews with the head of FEMA’s flood program, the head of disaster recovery at HUD, and the top official who oversaw Sandy housing recovery for New York City, as well as a top representative from the insurance industry and people who have worked for years in the disaster recovery business. It’s an eye-opening collaboration that raises troubling questions about whether the government — and the communities it serves — are prepared for the next big storm.
“We’re so pleased to join forces with NPR to tell this important story across multiple platforms,” says Raney Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE executive producer. “With storms and floods expected to grow in frequency and intensity, this collaboration will be a must-watch and must-listen for millions of American homeowners.”