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

After a storm a Melville 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 Melville

Melville is the south end of the Town of Huntington, high and wooded along the Route 110 corridor, and a nor'easter here is the wind on the office parks and the oaks on the houses — a tree blocked Walt Whitman Road in this weekend's storm. The residential streets west of 110 and around the Sweet Hollow preserve are 1960s to 80s colonials and splits on half-acre wooded lots under oak and tulip trees that stand over two-storey roofs; east of 110 the newer subdivisions have younger trees and take less. The office and industrial buildings along 110 and Pinelawn Road take the wind on acres of flat roof, rooftop units and curtain-wall glass. No tidal water; water in a house came through whatever the wind or a tree opened.

Oak Crowns Across the Property

A mature oak crown fills a yard and a driveway and often a neighbour's yard too, and it is heavier than it looks. Under it is the fence it took, the gutters it stripped and the shingles it lifted. Cut into rounds and hauled, the property is a repair site instead of a forest floor.

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 Melville

Melville files with the Town of Huntington at Town Hall on Main Street in Huntington. 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 Melville. 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

Do you handle the office buildings on Route 110 after a storm?

Yes. Flat roofs on 110 take the wind at the membrane edges, the rooftop units and the parapet flashing, and the water goes straight into the ceilings below. Same order of work as a house — photographs as found, tarp and board, wet material out, a scope for the carrier — on a bigger roof with more tenants under it. Tell us what is open and what is wet.

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.