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

After a storm a Medford 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 Medford

Medford does not flood in a hurricane — it is inland on the sandy outwash plain with no tidal water anywhere near it — so a hurricane here is a wind and tree event. The hamlet sits on the western edge of the Pine Barrens, and the pitch pine that is everywhere on the newer streets has a shallow, spreading root system and a tall thin trunk that snaps or uproots in a sustained wind long before an oak does. The 1960s–80s splits and hi-ranches take the pines across the low roof over the garage wing and onto the service drop, which is why Medford loses power in storms that leave the shore towns lit. The other Medford damage is the low-slope roof over the lower level of a split, which is where wind-driven rain gets under the shingles first.

Pine Crowns and Root Balls

After a storm here the debris is pitch pine — whole trees with the root ball still attached, crowns across driveways and fences, limbs through sheds — on top of the shingles and siding the wind took. The town takes brush from the curb eventually; the root balls and the building debris it does not.

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 Medford

Medford files with the Town of Brookhaven. The Building Division counter is a short drive up to One Independence Hill in Farmingville. 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 Medford. 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

A pine came down on my Medford roof. Is that covered?

Generally yes, under the homeowners policy — a tree that falls on a covered structure is the classic covered peril, and most policies also pay something toward removing that tree, up to a limit that varies from policy to policy. What is usually not covered is a tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing. We photograph the tree where it lies before anyone cuts it, document what it hit, and separate the two in the scope so the claim is clean.

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

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