THE National Housing Trust (NHT) says a number of its mortgagors have indicated their intention to make claims for damage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which swept the island last month.

"Up to Friday, November 2, the NHT's insurance unit had received one claim. In addition, there were 35 notifications of intention to submit claims," the Trust told the Observer, in response to queries. Up to October 31 this year, the NHT had some 94,457 active mortgagors.

The claims come following a notice posted by the NHT last week, inviting mortgagors who suffered damage to their properties during the passage of Hurricane Sandy to submit their claims. The deadline

is tomorrow.

Persons submitting claims should present a completed peril insurance claim form, an estimate of the damage, a photograph of the damage if possible, valid identification, and a letter of authorisation, if someone other than the mortgagor is processing the claim. The NHT said damaged items should be kept and shown to its loss adjusters as part of their assessment.

In the meantime, the NHT has given persons the green light to undertake "temporary repairs in cases where failure to do so would result in further damage". It said receipts should be kept for submission with the claim.

Affected NHT mortgagors are responsible for covering the first two per cent of the sum insured. For example, if the home is valued at $3 million and the estimate of the damage is $100,000 the mortgagor will be responsible for finding $60,000. The NHT said it reserves the right to pay the claims in instalments. The policy does not cover loss or damage to contents.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said the country's housing stock, in particular those in the island's east end, suffered significant damage during the passage of Hurricane Sandy on October 24.