Long Island waterfront street after a coastal storm

Alec's Construction handles hurricane and storm damage in Riverhead, 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 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.

Surge From the Bay

On this part of the South Shore the water is the storm. A south or southeast wind pushes the Great South Bay up every creek and over every bulkhead at once, and the streets south of Montauk Highway take it into crawl spaces, slab additions and first floors built at grade. It is salt water, and salt water is a different cleanup from rain: everything electrical it touched is replaced rather than dried, the sheetrock and insulation below the water line come out, and the framing is dried with equipment and metered before it is closed. It is also a separate claim — a flood policy, not the homeowners policy — and we scope it separately from the wind damage on the same house.

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.
Restoration crew at a storm-damaged Long Island house

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 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 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 Riverhead. Call or text (631) 312-7441.

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

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.

Do you remove the tree and repair the house, or do I need two companies?

One call. Where a tree is on a structure the removal and the repair are the same job — the tree has to come off in an order that does not drop the roof, and the roof has to be supported and covered as the weight comes off. We coordinate the removal, do the structural repair, the roofing, the interior and the cleanup, and write it as one scope.

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.

Can you tarp my roof the same day?

Where we can reach you safely and the roof can be walked, yes — that is what the first visit is for. A tarp is a temporary measure to stop the water while the damage is documented and the permanent repair is scoped. Where a tree is on the roof, the tree comes off first, in the right order, and the tarp goes on after.

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Also Serving Riverhead

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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