After a storm the building envelope is compromised and the weather is not finished — the priority is stopping further water entry before drying anything, and documenting the damage while it is still visible for the insurance claim.
When water has come inside, we connect you with a local restoration specialist to get the water out and dry the house. Damage that is outside only, such as a roof, siding or a fallen tree, is roofing or tree work, which our line does not connect.
Call now, or can it wait?
Call now if
Water is coming in through the roof, a wall or a broken window.
A tree or large limb is on the house.
Wires are down — stay well away and call the utility first.
It can usually wait for a scheduled visit if
Missing shingles or siding with no water getting in. Photograph it, cover it if safe, and schedule.
What Suffolk County measures for storm damage restoration
Storm damage is the one service without a per-area score where Suffolk County, NY's geography still bears on it. 70 of the 155 areas we cover carry high or very high storm surge exposure, and 47 have 10% or more of their developed land inside a FEMA flood zone.
The other half of the picture is the age of the houses, and it is the same story everywhere in the county. New York did not adopt the model building codes carrying today's wind-load provisions until 2003; the statewide Uniform Code before that dates to 1984. The median home across the areas we cover is about 56 years old — built around 1970 — and the average home postdates 2003 in none of the 155 areas we cover. That is not a figure that separates one Suffolk community from another. It is a fact about the whole county.
It matters because post-storm assessments consistently find the same thing: houses built to modern wind provisions come through storms with substantially less damage than houses built before them. Federal post-hurricane damage surveys have repeatedly found structural damage concentrated in pre-code construction, and roof age in particular separating the houses that leaked from the houses that did not. None of that research was conducted on Long Island, so treat it as the reason to check your own roof and openings rather than as a measurement of your house.
This is county-level context, not a per-area risk score — and unlike our basement, sump and cesspool pages, storm damage does not get one. We looked for a measurement that would separate one Suffolk area from another on wind damage and did not find an honest one. What your area page does carry is your own flood-zone share, storm surge rating and hurricane evacuation zone, which are the numbers that matter before a named storm.
Storm Damage Restoration drivers across Suffolk County, town by town
Town
Areas
High surge exposure
Median in FEMA flood zone
Median built pre-1970
Babylon
13
6
0%
70%
Brookhaven
44
10
1%
48%
East Hampton
8
4
8%
31%
Huntington
20
5
0%
70%
Islip
23
13
4%
61%
Riverhead
7
3
2%
38%
Shelter Island
2
2
9%
39%
Smithtown
8
1
1%
51%
Southampton
20
17
12%
30%
Southold
10
9
11%
49%
Counts and medians of the areas we cover in each town, measured over developed land. An
area spanning two towns is counted under the first. Your own street can differ — each
area page has its own figures. Sources and limits.
What the storm damage restoration job actually involves
So you know what you are agreeing to, and can tell a thorough quote from a cheap one.
Make the building weather-tight before drying anything. The storm is not necessarily finished and an open envelope keeps taking water.
Document everything — photographs and video, before anything is moved or removed. This is what the claim rests on.
Extract standing water and remove material that cannot be salvaged.
Dry the structure, including the cavities and insulation that hold water after surfaces look dry.
Assess structural elements that were loaded by wind or water rather than assuming they are sound.
What makes it worse
Throwing away damaged material before it has been photographed and the adjuster has been told.
Entering standing water outdoors, or treating a downed line as dead.
Waiting for the adjuster before tarping or boarding. Mitigation is expected of you, and the costs are usually recoverable.
Assuming a homeowners policy covers flooding. It generally does not — that is a separate NFIP policy.
Drying a wall without opening it, when the insulation behind is still saturated.
What the standards and official guidance say
Rain through the roof is not automatically contaminated
The body that writes the industry standard, ANSI/IICRC S500, said in a March 2026 position statement that wind-driven rain and other weather-related water are not automatically Category 3, the grossly contaminated category. The category is set after inspection, not assumed from the storm.
Storm surge is different: the standard lists all flooding from seawater as Category 3. If the water came in from the bay or ocean rather than through the roof, expect the cleanup to be scoped as contaminated.
The distinction that decides most storm claims is wind-driven rain against flood. Water that entered through a wind-created opening is usually a homeowners matter; water that rose from the ground is a flood matter and needs a separate NFIP policy. Both turn on documentation taken before cleanup, and on keeping receipts for anything you buy to limit the damage.
General guidance, not advice on your policy — coverage varies by insurer and endorsement, and
the wording is what decides it. Read yours, or ask your agent, before you need to.
Signs you need storm damage restoration help now
Water entering around windows, doors, or a compromised roof
Missing shingles, lifted flashing, or daylight visible in an attic
Standing water in a basement or crawlspace after surge or heavy rain
A waterline mark on an interior wall
Soaked insulation, which holds water long after surfaces look dry
What to do before help arrives
Worth doing whether or not you call us.
Do not enter standing water outdoors, and treat downed lines as live.
Stop further water entry first — tarp, board, or cover — before drying anything.
Photograph and video everything before you move or remove it. This is what the claim rests on.
Keep receipts for anything you buy to mitigate damage; those are usually recoverable.
Do not throw away damaged material until it has been documented and the adjuster has been told.
How to keep it from happening again
Trim limbs that overhang the roof.
Clear gutters and downspouts before storm season.
Photograph the house inside and out before storm season, for any claim.
Know where the main water and electrical shutoffs are.
Keep a tarp and fasteners on hand.
Storm Damage Restoration: common questions
Should I cover the roof myself?
Only what you can do from the ground or indoors. Setting out buckets and moving belongings is safe; climbing onto a wet or damaged roof after a storm is not. Photograph the damage first, because your insurer will want to see it before temporary repairs.
A tree fell on my house. What should I do first?
Get everyone out of the rooms beneath it and away from any downed wires, and call the utility if lines are involved. Do not try to cut or move it yourself: a tree resting on a roof can shift as it is cut. Photograph it before anything is moved.
Storm damage gets no per-area score, for the reason above. We cover all 155 areas in
Suffolk County for it, and each area page carries its own flood-zone share, storm surge rating
and evacuation zone.