New Jersey Insurance Adjusters In Short Supply After Ida

It felt like the end of her world for Clifton’s Maria De Lourdes Torres. In March, her husband of 40 years, Norman Chidiac, died of COVID-related complications. Then came Hurricane Ida.

The storm flooded the basement of her Grove Street home and almost submerged the commercial building on Clifton Avenue that the 73-year-old had invested in with Chidiac, destroying a barber’s shop, law office and pharmacy.

"Everything was floating: attorney’s desks, copiers," she recalled through sobs in an interview.

Now, Torres says her insurance claims are stuck in limbo, thanks to a shortage of adjusters to survey the damage.

Despite several calls, her insurer hasn’t said when one will be available. Torres says she doesn’t know what to do with the mess Ida left behind.