Storm preparation checklist for Long Island homeowners
Most of this costs nothing and takes an afternoon. All of it is worth more before a storm than any phone call during one.
- Gutters, downspouts and grading before anything else
- Test the sump and fit a backup power source
- Photograph the house while it is undamaged
- Check flood cover in calm weather — not when it is named
24/7 Emergency Intake
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Active emergency? 516-905-5970
Weeks ahead: the things that need lead time
Check your flood coverage. Standard homeowners policies exclude water rising from the ground. NFIP policies generally carry a waiting period before taking effect, so buying when a storm is named does nothing. This is the one item that cannot be done late.
Check your deductibles. Coastal policies frequently carry a separate hurricane or windstorm deductible expressed as a percentage of dwelling coverage rather than a flat sum. Work out the actual number now.
Service the sump pump. Pour a bucket into the pit and watch the full cycle. Clear debris. Check the float moves freely. Walk the discharge line to the outlet.
Fit a backup. Battery or water-powered secondary pump. Power loss is the commonest cause of sump failure, and storms take out power and raise the water table simultaneously.
Clear gutters and extend downspouts. Overflowing gutters dump concentrated water at the foundation, which is the opposite of what you want. Discharge should run several feet clear.
Check grading. Soil should fall away from the house for the first several feet. Landscaping built up over the years frequently reverses it.
Photograph the house undamaged. Exterior from all sides, roof if visible, every room, and anything of value. A dated record of the pre-storm condition is worth a great deal in a claim and takes fifteen minutes.
Days ahead: when a system is forecast
- Clear gutters again — autumn leaf fall undoes the earlier work
- Bring in or secure outdoor furniture, planters, bins and anything that becomes airborne
- Trim branches overhanging the roof if there is time to do it safely
- Charge phones and battery packs; locate torches
- Move valuables and documents out of basements and off ground-floor floors
- Raise anything stored under an elevated house, or accept losing it
- Fill the car with fuel and get cash — card systems fail with power
- Check the generator runs, if you have one, and that it is sited outdoors and well clear of windows
Hours ahead
Know where your water main is and check it turns. If pipes burst during the event you need that valve.
Know where the breaker panel is and which circuits serve which areas.
Take the last photographs, so the pre-storm condition is documented with a timestamp immediately before.
Move vehicles off low ground and away from trees.
If evacuation is advised, go. Property is replaceable and the roads close.
During
Stay away from windows. Do not go outside to check the roof. Do not drive through standing water — you cannot see what the road is doing underneath.
If water starts entering, photograph it as it happens if you can do so safely. Where it came from and how it arrived is precisely the evidence that decides whether it is a wind claim or a flood claim.
Immediately after
Photograph everything before touching anything. Exterior damage, the point of entry, the high-water line, interior damage room by room.
Secure openings. Board-up and tarping stop the next rain band adding to the loss, and most policies require you to take reasonable steps. Do not go on a wet damaged roof yourself.
Call early. After a regional event every restoration company is oversubscribed simultaneously. Position in the queue is set by when you called, not by how bad it turns out to be. Calling before you know the full extent is rational.
Treat surge and ground flood water as category 3. Contaminated regardless of appearance. Stay out of it.
Questions, answered
When should I buy flood insurance?
Well before a storm is forecast. NFIP policies generally carry a waiting period before taking effect, precisely to prevent last-minute purchases. It is a calm-weather decision, and outside high-risk zones the premiums are considerably lower than people assume.
Is it worth photographing the house before a storm?
Genuinely yes, and it takes fifteen minutes. A dated record of undamaged condition removes an entire category of argument about what was pre-existing. Exterior from all sides, every room, and anything of value.
Should I move things out of the basement?
Anything you would mind losing, yes — and particularly documents, photographs and electronics. On the South Shore and any low-lying ground, basements and the space under elevated houses are the first places water reaches.
How quickly can you respond after a major storm?
Honestly, slower than usual — every company on the Island is oversubscribed at the same time and nobody can promise otherwise. We prioritise emergency securing because it stops the loss growing while you wait, and the queue is ordered by when you called.
If you need help now
Water Extraction
Truck-mounted and portable extraction — the phase that decides what the rest costs.
Extraction →Flooded Basement
Below-grade pump-out, drying and honest cause-finding.
Basements →Insurance Claim Support
Documentation from hour one and direct billing to your carrier.
Claims →Service Area
All of Nassau and Suffolk, with response times quoted by zone.
Coverage →Serving Nassau and Suffolk
Dispatching from 30 Lynch St in Huntington Station. Response times are honest by zone — 45 to 60 minutes across the core townships, longer as you head east.
Storm damage already?
Photograph before you touch anything, then call. Securing the building today beats a full crew next week.
- 24/7 emergency line516-905-5970
- Service address30 Lynch St, Huntington Station, NY 11746
- HoursOpen 24 hours — every day of the year
- Why usCertified & experienced · Fast response · Local, trusted, Long Island proud