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

Alec's Construction handles hurricane and storm damage in Babylon, Suffolk County — fallen trees, flooding and water damage, roofs and siding torn open, the cleanup and the rebuild — as one job from the first tarp to the finished repair, working out of the yard in East Patchogue. If the roof is open, a tree is on the house or there is water inside, call or text (631) 312-7441 rather than fill in the form, and tell us what you are looking at.

What a Hurricane Does in Babylon

Babylon is a Great South Bay village with canals and a long bay shoreline, and the streets south of Montauk Highway — the canal grids off Argyle Lake's outlet, the blocks along the bay toward Fire Island Avenue — take the surge into ranches and capes that were built at grade on the water. The Village of Babylon and the Town of Babylon hamlets around it are two different filing routes for the same storm. North of Montauk Highway the village core is older frame housing under large trees, and the damage there is limbs on roofs and porches, wind-lifted shingles on the older, steeper roofs, and rain driven in around original windows. The waterfront houses that were elevated after 2012 now take the storm as wind on a tall exposed face.

Canal Houses: Water Below, Wind Above

The canal grids here are 1950s and 60s capes and ranches built at grade a few feet above the water, and a surge fills every canal and every one of those crawl spaces, dens and garages at the same time. A lot of them were rebuilt quickly after 2012, and a second wetting finds the walls that were closed before the framing was dry. The houses that were elevated afterward take the storm differently: the surge goes under them and the damage moves up to the siding, windows and roof edge on the exposed face, and to the enclosure and stairs below. Water damage is the flood claim; wind damage is the homeowners claim; both get their own scope.

What We Handle After a Storm

  • Fallen or damaged trees — the tree on the roof, the limb through the porch, the leaner against the wall. Structural check first, then removal in the right order, then the repair.
  • Flooding and water damage — surge, rain that came in through the roof, the basement that filled. Wet material out, real drying equipment in, moisture measured before anything is closed.
  • Interior and exterior storm damage — roofing, siding, windows, soffits, gutters, ceilings, walls, floors and insulation.
  • Storm cleanup and debris removal — cut, haul and clear, so the repair crew can get to the house.
  • Repairs to damaged areas — from a tarp on the first day to the finished rebuild, one crew, one scope, one point of contact.

The Order of Work

  • Make it safe. Nobody goes under a tree on a roof or into a room with a sagging ceiling until it has been looked at. Downed lines are the utility's, and they get called first.
  • Photograph everything as found. Before a limb is cut or a wet carpet is pulled. This is what both claims rest on.
  • Stop the water. Tarp the roof, board the openings, pump and pull the wet material that will grow mould if it stays.
  • Dry and document. Drying equipment in, moisture readings taken and kept.
  • Write the scope line by line with the photographs attached, storm damage kept separate from wear, wind damage kept separate from flood damage.
  • Rebuild to the agreed scope, and correct what let the storm in so it does not repeat.
Long Island waterfront street after a coastal storm

Homeowners Policy, Flood Policy and the Hurricane Deductible

Wind damage, and the rain that came in through it, is a homeowners claim. A tree on the house is a homeowners claim, and most policies pay something toward removing that tree, up to a limit that varies by policy. Water that rose — from the bay, a canal, a creek or a river — is a flood claim under a separate flood policy, whether National Flood Insurance Program or private, and the homeowners policy generally excludes it. Many coastal New York policies also carry a hurricane deductible that is a percentage of the dwelling coverage rather than a flat figure, and it applies when a named hurricane triggers it. We do not adjust claims; we document and scope the damage so the adjuster sees what the storm did, and we tell you which of the three buckets each item belongs in before you file.

Building Department in Babylon

The Village of Babylon runs its own building department separately from the Town of Babylon, so which one applies depends on the address. Emergency repairs to make the house safe and dry do not wait for a permit. The permanent repair that follows — structural work, re-roofing, electrical — is permitted work like any other, and we file it once the scope is agreed.

Free walkthrough in Babylon. Call or text (631) 312-7441.

By the job in Babylon: Tree Removal · Flood Cleanup · Storm Debris · Storm Roof & Siding

Frequently Asked Questions

My Babylon house is on a canal. What is the first thing to do after the water goes down?

Photograph everything before anyone touches it — the water line on the walls, the crawl space, the mechanicals, the yard — because the flood adjuster is going to want to see the house as the water left it. Then get the wet material out and the drying started, because a canal house that sits wet for a week is a mould job on top of a flood job. Call the flood carrier and the homeowners carrier separately; the two claims are for different damage.

Do I need a permit for storm repairs?

Not for the emergency work. Tarping, boarding, shoring, pumping and drying make the house safe and do not wait for a permit. The permanent repair — structural work, re-roofing, electrical, anything that changes the building — is permitted work like any other job, and we file it once the scope is agreed with the carrier.

How do I avoid storm chasers?

Ask for a local address and a local phone number, ask how long they have worked on Long Island, and do not sign anything at the door — not an assignment of benefits, not a deposit. Out-of-state crews arrive after every hurricane and leave before the roof leaks again. We are on Barton Avenue in East Patchogue and have worked Suffolk County since 2018.

Is a fallen tree covered by insurance?

A tree that falls on the house, the garage or another covered structure is the classic covered peril under a standard homeowners policy, and most policies also pay something toward removing that tree, up to a limit that varies by policy. A tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing usually is not covered. We photograph the tree where it lies before anyone cuts it.

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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. 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.

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