Storm-damaged Long Island roof being tarped for an insurance claim

Water inside a Riverhead house after a storm has a clock on it. Mould can start on wet sheetrock and insulation within a day or two, and a house that sits wet while it waits for an adjuster becomes a mould job on top of a storm job. Alec's Construction gets the wet material out, the drying equipment in and the moisture metered, then rebuilds to the agreed scope, working out of the yard on Barton Avenue in East Patchogue. If there is water in the house now, call rather than fill in the form.

What a Storm Does in Riverhead

Riverhead sits at the head of the Peconic Bay where the Peconic River comes in, and an east or northeast wind pushes the bay up the river into the downtown waterfront — the riverfront blocks along East Main Street and the parking fields behind them take water at high tide in a strong storm. Beyond the downtown the town is farm country and pine barrens: farmhouses and 1950s to 80s ranches and colonials on big lots along the county roads, under pitch pine and oak, with the wind coming across open fields with nothing to slow it. The barns, greenhouses and farm stands along Sound Avenue and Route 58 take the wind on big light roofs, and the pines come over whole on the sandy ground after a week of rain.

Bay Water in the House

On this part of the South Shore the water is the storm. Surge comes up every creek and over every bulkhead at once on a south or southeast wind and into crawl spaces, slab additions and first floors south of Montauk Highway. It is salt water, and salt water changes the rules: electrical that went under is replaced, not dried, and the framing is washed down before it is dried.

Two Kinds of Water, Two Claims

Water that came down — through a roof the wind opened, around a window it broke, behind siding it peeled — is wind-driven rain and a homeowners claim. Water that came up — from the bay, a canal, a creek, the ground — is flood, excluded from the homeowners policy and covered only by a separate flood policy. Most storm-damaged houses have some of both, and the two have to be documented separately from the first visit or the claims fight each other. We keep them separate on the scope.

What Comes Out

Wet carpet and pad. Insulation that took water, all of it. Sheetrock cut back above the water line to the next joint. Laminate and engineered floors that swelled. Cabinet boxes that sat in water. Soaked contents that cannot be cleaned. Everything photographed in place, photographed as it comes out, and kept where the adjuster can see it. Emergency mitigation is expected of you under the policy; it does not wait for the adjuster.

Drying Is Measured, Not Guessed

Commercial dehumidifiers and air movers, moisture readings on the framing every day, and nothing closed up until the numbers say dry. Where the water was salt — surge from the bay or a canal — the rules change: electrical that went under is replaced, not dried, and the framing gets washed down before it is dried, because salt keeps pulling moisture out of the air for years.

Long Island waterfront street after a coastal storm

The Rebuild

Insulation, sheetrock, trim, floors, cabinets, paint, and the electrical or mechanical that had to be replaced, on one scope with the cleanup. Where the water came in through the roof or the siding, the cause is fixed first so the new work does not get wet again.

Building Department in Riverhead

Riverhead files with the Town of Riverhead at Town Hall on Howell Avenue; the downtown waterfront along the Peconic River and the streets around it are in the mapped flood zone. Emergency work to make the house safe and dry does not wait for a permit; the permanent repair is filed once the scope is agreed.

Free walkthrough in Riverhead. Call or text (631) 312-7441. Tell us whether the roof is open, whether a tree is on the structure and whether there is water inside, and we bring the right equipment on the first trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you come out as far as Riverhead after a storm?

Yes, and we tell you honestly where you are on the list. Riverhead is about forty minutes east of the yard in East Patchogue on the Expressway, and after a storm we run the calls in the order they came in, roof-open houses first. Tell us whether the roof is open, whether a tree is on the house and whether there is water inside, and we come with the right equipment the first trip.

How long before mould starts after storm water gets in?

A day or two on wet building material, faster in a warm closed house. That is why the wet material comes out and the drying starts immediately rather than after the adjuster's visit. Photographs of what was removed protect the claim; leaving it in place grows mould and makes the claim worse.

Is the flooding covered by my homeowners policy?

Water that rose from the bay, a canal, a creek or the ground is flood damage, and a standard homeowners policy excludes it; it is covered only by a separate flood policy. Rain that came in through wind damage to the roof or siding is a homeowners claim. Where a house has both, they are documented separately from the first visit.

Can you pump out my basement today?

Where we can reach you, yes, once the water outside has gone down. Pumping a basement while the ground around it is still saturated can push the walls in. After that the wet material comes out and the drying starts the same visit.

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Work With Alec's Construction

This guide is written by the crew that does the work. See Alec's Hurricane & Storm Damage Repair service — fallen trees, flooding, roof and siding damage, cleanup and the rebuild. Licensed and insured on Long Island, one crew start to finish, free walkthrough and a written estimate inside 48 hours.

Booking the cold months now: we also handle Roofing and Storm Damage & Insurance Restoration.

Get a Free Estimate from Alec's Construction

Licensed and insured, working across Nassau and Suffolk County since 2018. We come out, look at the actual job, and put a written number in your hand — no pressure, no obligation.

Or call (631) 312-7441

No cost, no obligation. We reply the same day.