Restoration crew at a storm-damaged Long Island house

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

Selden is inland on the flat sandy plain in the middle of Brookhaven, between Middle Country Road and the Long Island Expressway, with no tidal water, so a storm is what the wind and the pitch pine do. The housing is 1960s and 70s ranches, splits and high ranches on quarter and half-acre lots, and the pines and oaks left standing when the tracts were cut are now over the roofs and the attached garages. A day of rain loosens the pine root plates in the sand and a northeast gust brings them over whole. The flat commercial roofs along Middle Country Road and around Suffolk Community College take the wind. Basements are common and a long rain fills the ones without power to the sump.

Inland: Wind, Rain and Pitch Pine

There is no tidal water here, so a hurricane is what the wind and the trees do. The pitch pine that covers the sandy ground has a shallow root plate and a tall thin trunk, and after a day of rain has loosened the soil it comes over whole — roots and all — onto the low roof of the garage wing, the deck, the car and the service drop. The oaks shed heavy limbs instead. The 1960s–80s splits and hi-ranches take the wind on the low-slope roof over the lower wing, where the shingles have the least overlap, and on the gable ends, where the wall is tallest. Then the rain gets in where the shingles lifted and shows up on the ceiling below.

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.
Emergency tarp over a damaged roof section on a 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 Selden

Selden files with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville, a few minutes south. 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 Selden. Call or text (631) 312-7441.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do the pines in Selden come down so easily in a storm?

Pitch pine has a shallow root plate and a tall thin trunk, and the sandy ground here saturates and loosens after a day of rain. Once the ground lets go, a full crown in a gust levers the whole tree over, roots and all. A pine is lighter than an oak when it lands on a roof, but it usually comes down across an attached garage or a one-storey wing and often a second one follows the first.

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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Also Serving Selden

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

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