Emergency tarp over a damaged roof section on a Long Island house

After a storm a Brightwaters property is covered in three kinds of debris and they go three different places: the tree, which the town may eventually take from the curb; the pieces of the house, which nobody takes; and the wet material from inside, which has a clock on it. Alec's Construction cuts, hauls and clears all three as part of the repair rather than leaving you to find a dumpster in the week every dumpster on Long Island is spoken for, working out of the yard on Barton Avenue in East Patchogue.

What a Storm Does in Brightwaters

Brightwaters is a planned village from the early 1900s built around a chain of lakes that drain south through canals into the Great South Bay, and the water comes at it from both ends. A surge pushes up the canals from the bay into the streets south of Montauk Highway, and heavy rain fills the lakes and the streets around them. The housing is older and better built than most of the South Shore — stucco, shingle and brick colonials and Tudors from the 1910s to 30s with slate and tile roofs, plus 1950s ranches on the newer streets — under mature trees that were planted with the village. The village runs its own building department and takes a close look at exterior repairs on the older houses.

Debris on the Canal Grids

The canal streets fill with what the water floated — boats off lifts, dock boards, propane tanks, sheds — and it settles across the grid when the water goes down. Under it is the wind damage: siding panels, fence sections, gutters. The wet material from every crawl space and den on the block comes out the same week.

Trees and Limbs

A tree on the ground is a chainsaw job and a matter of time. A tree on a structure is a different job with an order to it, and it comes off before anything else on the property is touched. We cut and haul what the town will not take, and we tell you what your town is doing that week for curbside brush.

Roofing, Siding and Building Debris

Shingles, vinyl siding, aluminum gutters, fence sections, broken glass, the pieces of whatever the wind took apart. It is sharp, it has nails in it and it hides under wet leaves. Photographed where it lies before it is moved, because it is evidence of what the wind did to the house.

Wet Material From Inside

This is the debris with a clock on it: wet carpet and pad, wet insulation, sheetrock that has lost its strength, soaked furniture. Mould can begin on any of it within a day or two. It comes out, it is photographed as it comes out, and it is kept where the adjuster can see it.

Fallen tree on a Long Island cape with the roof being tarped after a storm

Hazards We Work Around

Downed lines and anything touching them — the utility first, always. Gas. Trees under tension. Nails and glass under mud. Wet floors over electrical. Cleanup is what gets the crew to the house; the scope and the rebuild are the job that follows.

Building Department in Brightwaters

The Village of Brightwaters runs its own building department at Village Hall on Orinoco Drive, and the permanent repair files there, not with the Town of Islip. The lakes and the bayfront canal streets 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 Brightwaters. 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

Does the Village of Brightwaters 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. The permanent repair is filed with the village's own building department on Orinoco Drive, not with the Town of Islip, and the village looks closely at exterior work on the older houses. We file it once the scope is agreed and we tell you what they will want to see.

Do you haul the debris or do I need a dumpster?

We bring the hauling as part of the job. After a storm every dumpster on Long Island is committed for weeks, and leaving homeowners to find a container is how cleanup stalls.

Can I throw out the wet carpet and drywall before the adjuster comes?

Yes, and you should. Leaving it in place grows mould and makes the claim worse, and emergency mitigation is expected under the policy. Photograph it in place first, photograph it as it comes out, and keep it where the adjuster can see it if there is room.

Is storm cleanup covered by insurance?

Debris removal from a covered loss is generally covered under a standard homeowners policy up to a limit, and removal of a tree that hit a covered structure usually is too. A tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing is usually not. We separate the covered cleanup from the rest on the scope so the claim is clean.

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Also Serving Brightwaters

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.