For the past week—and likely for the next year—victims ofSuperstorm Sandy will face challenges they never dreamed of, eventhose lucky enough to have insurance policies that cover thedamages to their home and property.

One of the questions survivors of this tragic storm willinvariably ask each other over the coming weeks is, "Who's yourinsurer?" The responses that are elicited will draw either envy orsympathy because as these victims—and the victim of hundreds ofdisasters—will tell you, not all insurance carriers are alike whenit comes to handling claims.

It's been 20 years since my home was destroyed by a tornado andI remember the conversations with my neighbors like they happenedyesterday. I will never forget that one neighbor was told by aclaims adjuster from a top-10 insurer that the thousands of shardsof glass from a picture window that blew into her house could bevacuumed rather than have the carpet replaced.

You can't blame insurers for trying to save a few dollars on aclaim, but the reputation of that particular insurer and thehometown agent who represented that carrier were harmed muchgreater by the word of mouth from the community than by the insuredloss.

I was fortunate in that my top-10 insurer issued a check to mefor my full coverage limit within a week of the storm. In times ofcrisis the most reassuring thing a policyholder can receive is acheck, particularly when all of a person's belongings have to beeither stored or disposed of, a temporary place to live has to befound, and getting back to work to earn an income is thrown on topof the mess that once was your beautiful home. The mental health ofa victim should never be ignored.

There are challenges that the New York/New Jersey residents haveto face that will cause great anxiety. Those without floodinsurance will be particularly fearful. There will be governmentassistance available for some of these people, but low-interestfederal loans won't ease the pain like a claims payment from aninsurer.

These will be stressful times for insurers as well because manyof their employees will be filing claims for themselves or theywill be processing claims for family and neighbors. People getangry when they lose the normalcy or their life. They can't take itout on some faceless corporation, but they can take it out on aclaims adjuster or a call-center rep.

I'd normally advise patience and reassure the victims thatthings will work out in the end, but that's being naïve. My familyspent four months in a rented house waiting to get back to ourhome. The massive damage that victims of Sandy have endured is waybeyond what my small community suffered and will take much longerthan four months to repair.

For those simply inconvenienced by last week's storm, the worstis likely over. For those that lost their homes or place ofbusiness, the hard part—rebuilding—is just beginning.