Earthquake: The Continuing Recovery : ‘We’re Petrified That When Our Insurance Runs Out We’ll Lose the House’ : Getting Answers: A family asks why they still can’t get their home fixed. Their insurance company replies.

When Jae and Arthur Weiss bought a home in Van Nuys, they covered their bases by purchasing earthquake insurance. Six months later, the Northridge earthquake lifted their home off its foundation. As she heard her possessions crashing to the ground, Jae, a domestic violence counselor, recalls thinking: “Thank God we have earthquake insurance.” A few days later city inspectors found the house “reasonably safe.” The Weisses did a preliminary cleanup and Arthur resumed practicing law from their home. With his wife at his side, Arthur Weiss spoke with ROBIN GREENE about the year that followed.

We had our first contact with an insurance adjuster (from 20th Century Insurance Co.) on Feb. 10. Five days later, an engineer inspected our home. He told us the foundation was in good shape. We asked him, ‘How can that be?’ Our floor was tilted and none of the doors in the house opened or closed properly. He suggested we plane down the doors.

A few weeks later, we received the damage report. After all the deductibles, they said we were entitled to a reimbursement of only $1,968; they later sent us a check for “full and final payment.” We did not cash it and asked the company to send another adjuster.

In mid-May, we got a second damage report from 20th Century. This one said we had five cracks under our foundation and damage was estimated at $65,000. By this time, we had hired our own contractor and structural engineer, both of whom found 12 cracks in the foundation. They said we could raise the house to repair the foundation, but their estimate for the repairs was almost four times higher than the insurance company’s. We asked the insurance company to consider our report.

Our air conditioner broke down in late July, which was intolerable for me since I suffer from chronic bronchitis. The day the repairman was supposed to arrive, I was hospitalized with severe chest pains, later diagnosed as stress-related. After dropping me off at the emergency room, Jae raced home to meet the repairman, who found exposed asbestos in the broken air vents in in the attic.

The insurance company’s engineers and adjusters had shown us the asbestos months earlier but they said it wasn’t a problem. The repairman told us we were spewing asbestos into the air every time we turned on the heat or the air conditioning. He couldn’t believe we were still living in the house.

We were scared to death. We’d been living in the house all those months without anyone telling us our lives were in danger. There is no known level of asbestos that is safe. Neither one of us were sleeping or eating properly. Not only were we exposed but we had exposed our families and friends to the asbestos.

On Aug. 18, the insurance company sent its own asbestos expert. More than a month later we received their report. It said the asbestos levels in the master bedroom “are of concern” but made no recommendation on occupancy of the house. By that time, we had moved into a hotel. It wasn’t until mid-October that the insurance company agreed to pay rent on a house for a year.

Since then, we’ve been fighting with 20th Century over how to remove the asbestos. They say the asbestos levels are only dangerous in the bedroom and in the office. But, how can that be?. The asbestos has to be in every room in the house. They’ve sent us a check to pay for the decontamination of the two rooms they are willing to acknowledge are contaminated. Once that work is completed, they have told us they will consider further testing of the house. We want a written guarantee that they will pay for further work if it is needed.

On New Year’s Eve our home was burglarized. We don’t know exactly what was taken because no one can enter the house. We’re petrified that, if the repairs aren’t made by July, when our insurance runs out, we’ll lose the house. But, we’re still making premium payments to 20th Century. On time.