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

After a storm a Port Jefferson 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 Port Jefferson

Port Jefferson floods from the harbour. The Village's downtown sits at the bottom of a bowl at the head of Port Jefferson Harbor, and a northeast wind on a high tide pushes Sound water up the harbour and into the streets around the ferry dock and Main Street — the downtown has had water in it in ordinary storms, let alone a hurricane. Above the village core the hills are steep, and the houses up on them face the other half of the problem: the wind off the Sound hits the north-facing roofs and gable ends directly, and the large oaks and locusts on the slopes come down across houses and the narrow streets. The older houses in the village are wood-framed with wide eaves and porches, and the eave is where the wind gets under the roof.

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 Port Jefferson

The Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson runs its own building department; Port Jefferson Station files with the Town of Brookhaven. They are two different processes. 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 Port Jefferson. 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

The Village of Port Jefferson — do storm repairs need Village approval?

The permanent repair does. The Village runs its own building department, and exterior work in the village core can get a closer look than a Town permit would give it. Emergency work — tarping, boarding, drying, shoring — is done to make the house safe and does not wait. We settle first whether the address is inside the Village or in the Town of Brookhaven around it, because Port Jefferson Station and the surrounding hamlets file with the Town.

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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Also Serving Port Jefferson

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.