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

After a storm a East Patchogue 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 East Patchogue

This is our own hamlet — the yard is on Barton Avenue — and we know exactly which streets flood because we drive them. South of Montauk Highway, East Patchogue runs down to Bellport Bay on low ground between the Swan River and Hedges Creek, and a surge comes up both waterways and across the marsh at the same time. The capes down there had crawl spaces and slab additions that took water in 2012 and were rebuilt fast; a second storm finds the shortcuts. North of Montauk the houses are on higher ground and the damage is wind: shingles lifted at the eave, siding peeled from the gable ends, and the oaks along the older streets coming down across driveways and service drops.

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.

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 East Patchogue

East Patchogue files with the Town of Brookhaven, not the Village of Patchogue — a distinction that costs people weeks when they get it wrong. 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 East Patchogue. 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

How fast can you get to a house in East Patchogue after a storm?

Faster than anywhere else on our board, because the yard is here on Barton Avenue. When a storm clears we go out to look at our own properties first and then straight to the calls, and East Patchogue is a few minutes in any direction. If the roof is open, tell us that on the phone and we bring the tarps on the first visit rather than coming back for them.

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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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.