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

After a storm a Brookhaven 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 Brookhaven

The hamlet of Brookhaven — the old village at the mouth of the Carmans River, not the town that took its name — is low, wet and old. The river opens into Bellport Bay here, the Wertheim marsh wraps the south side, and the streets off Beaver Dam Road and South Country Road run down to the water on ground that is only a few feet above it. A surge comes up the river and across the marsh at the same time. The housing is some of the oldest on the South Shore — shingle and clapboard houses from the 1800s and early 1900s on stone and brick foundations, with full basements that fill — mixed with 1950s and 60s ranches nearer the highway. The old houses have big trees that were planted with them.

What the Bay Leaves Behind

A surge leaves a tide line of debris across the yards south of Montauk Highway — dock sections, boats, fuel tanks, neighbours' fences, marsh grass and mud — on top of what the wind did to the house. Wet contents from the first floor go out with it, and the wet building material has a clock on it.

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.

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

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 Brookhaven

The hamlet of Brookhaven files with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville; the streets south of Montauk Highway along the Carmans River and Bellport Bay 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 Brookhaven. 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

My Brookhaven house is over a hundred years old. Does that change the storm repair?

It changes what is behind the wall. Old houses here have balloon framing, plank sheathing, horsehair plaster and stone or brick foundations that take water differently from a 1960s ranch, and the repair has to match what is there rather than what a modern house would have. Photographs as found, wet plaster and lath out where it has failed, the framing dried and metered, and a scope that names the actual materials so the adjuster prices the right thing.

Will the town pick up storm debris?

After a major storm most Suffolk towns and villages run curbside brush and storm-debris collection for a period, with rules about how it is cut, bundled and placed. They take what is at the curb; they do not take a tree off a roof or building material out of the house. We tell you what your town is doing that week and take what they will not.

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.

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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. 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.