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

Alec's Construction handles hurricane and storm damage in Centerport, 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 Centerport

Centerport wraps Centerport Harbor, a deep notch off Northport Bay that opens onto the Sound, and a northeast wind stacks water in it at high tide and pushes it over Route 25A at the head of the harbour and into the low streets around Mill Pond. The hamlet is old and hilly: 1900s to 30s houses on the harbour-front streets and the slopes above them, the Vanderbilt estate's trees on the east side, and 1950s to 70s colonials and ranches on the wooded streets up the hill under oak and tulip trees that stand over the roofs. The north-facing slopes take the wind off the Sound first. The houses on the harbour take water from below and wind from above in the same storm.

Harbour Water Below, Sound Wind Above

The North Shore harbour villages take the storm in two places. At the foot of the hill the harbour comes up Main Street on a northeast wind and a high tide and into the buildings around the waterfront. Up the hill the wind off the Sound hits the north-facing roof planes and gable ends of the older frame houses directly, and the big street trees — oaks, maples, locusts — drop limbs onto porch roofs and slate. The recurring roof damage is at the eave: the first courses lifted, the drip edge gone, and rain driven back into the soffit and the top of the wall. Village building departments handle the permanent repair in the village core; the Town handles the hamlets around it.

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 Centerport

Centerport files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington; the Village of Huntington Bay on its west side and the Village of Asharoken across the harbour run their own. The streets around Centerport Harbor and Mill Pond are in the mapped flood zone. 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 Centerport. Call or text (631) 312-7441.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Route 25A flooded at the head of Centerport Harbor. Does that mean my house did?

It means the harbour came up to the road, which it does on a northeast wind and a high tide. Whether it reached your house depends on your elevation off the harbour and Mill Pond. If it did, that water is flood damage and a separate flood policy; rain that came through a roof the wind opened up the hill is a homeowners claim. Photograph the water line before it is cleaned.

How long before mould starts?

Mould can begin on wet building material within a day or two, which is why the wet material comes out and the drying starts immediately rather than after the adjuster's visit. Emergency mitigation is expected under the policy; photographs of what was removed protect the claim. Drying is done with equipment and measured with meters, not judged by touch.

What should I do first after storm damage?

Stay away from anything that could still fail — a tree on the roof, a sagging ceiling, a downed line, water near electrical — and call the utility for lines and gas. Photograph everything as it is before anyone moves a branch or pulls a carpet. Then call us. We tarp and board the same day where we can reach you, and the photographs are what your claim rests on.

Does homeowners insurance cover flooding from a hurricane?

Generally not. Water that rose from the bay, a canal, a creek or the ground is flood damage, covered by a separate flood policy — National Flood Insurance Program or private — and excluded from the homeowners policy. Rain that came in through wind damage to the roof or siding is a homeowners claim. Many bay-front houses have both after a hurricane, and we scope the two separately.

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Also Serving Centerport

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.

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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.

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