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

After a storm a Islip 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 Islip

The hamlet of Islip sits on the Great South Bay between Champlin Creek and Orowoc Creek, and both creeks are surge routes: water comes up them on a southeast wind and over the low streets between Montauk Highway and the bay. The stock along the water is a mix of large older houses on big lots — wide roofs, deep eaves, mature trees — and post-war capes and ranches on the side streets, and the two fail differently in a hurricane. The big houses lose roofing and take limbs; the capes take water into crawl spaces and the slab additions that were put on their backs in the 1970s and 80s. Islip also has a lot of houses on private drives shaded by very large old oaks, and the tree on the house is the call we get most from here.

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 Islip

Islip files with the Town of Islip, whose published permit guidance treats finish work differently from anything touching water, gas or electric. 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 Islip. 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 Islip need a permit for emergency storm repairs?

Not for the emergency part. Tarping a roof, boarding an opening, shoring a structure, pulling out wet material and drying the house are done to make the house safe and they do not wait. The permanent repair that follows — structural work, re-roofing, electrical, anything that changes the building — is permitted work with the Town of Islip like any other job, and we file it once the scope is agreed with the carrier.

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 Islip

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.