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

After a storm a Huntington 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 Huntington

Huntington takes a hurricane on two fronts. Huntington Harbor and Huntington Bay open to the Sound on the north, and a northeast wind on a high tide brings the water up into Halesite, the harbour-front streets and the low ground at the head of the harbour. Above the water the town is hills — steep, wooded, with very large oaks, tulip trees and locusts standing over houses from every era from the 1700s to the 1990s — and the wind off the Sound brings those trees down across roofs, cars and the narrow roads. Huntington village itself is older frame housing with wide eaves and porches, and the eave and the porch roof are where the wind gets its fingers under. The Town of Huntington's permit rules for the rebuild are stricter than most of Suffolk.

Downtown Debris, Hillside Trees

Along the harbour the debris is what the tide brought into the downtown and the waterfront blocks. Up the hill it is trees: big crowns across driveways, limbs across garages, root plates in the lawns. Hauling out of the steep lots and the narrow village streets is half the job.

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 Huntington

The Town of Huntington requires plans sealed by a licensed architect or professional engineer for alterations costing more than ten thousand dollars, and the filing package runs to notarised applications, surveys, drawing sets and a workers compensation certificate. 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 Huntington. 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 Town of Huntington need sealed plans for a storm repair?

For a repair over ten thousand dollars, the Town of Huntington requires plans sealed by a licensed architect or professional engineer, and a structural repair after a tree strike or a roof rebuild after a hurricane very often crosses that line. Emergency work to make the house safe — tarping, boarding, shoring, drying — does not wait for it. We bring the engineer in early where the scope needs one so the sealed drawings are ready when the carrier approves the claim, not weeks after.

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.

Related Guides

Also Serving Huntington

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.