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

After a storm a Yaphank 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 Yaphank

Yaphank is Brookhaven's rural middle — the Carmans River runs through it, the county government complex and the county farm sit on its west side, and the housing is spread along Main Street, Yaphank Avenue and the streets around the two lakes on big wooded lots under pitch pine and oak. A nor'easter here is a tree event first: the pines come over whole on saturated sandy ground and the oaks along the old Main Street stand over some of the oldest houses in the town. The river and the upper and lower lakes come up after a long rain and the low streets around them take water. The hamlet is far enough from the bay that surge is not the problem; the wind and the trees are.

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.

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 Yaphank

Yaphank files with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville, about ten minutes west. 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 Yaphank. 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

My Yaphank house is on a big wooded lot. What can I do before the next storm?

Have the trees within striking distance of the roof looked at — the leaners, the ones with dead crowns, the pines with exposed roots on the windward side — and take down the ones that are going to come down anyway. After this storm, photograph any tree that shifted or split even if it did not fall, because the next gust finishes it. Clear the gutters and the roof valleys of pine needles so the next rain runs off instead of in.

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.