Water Damage Restoration in Great River & Oakdale, NY

Two hamlets, one river

The Connetquot River runs about six miles from spring-fed headwaters near Islandia, south through the state park preserve, and becomes a tidal estuary south of Sunrise Highway at Oakdale before it empties into Nicholls Bay on the Great South Bay. Great River sits on its west bank and Oakdale on its east.

Both are small and close to the water. Great River has about 2,000 residents, and more than 11 percent of its area is water. Oakdale has about 7,400 residents and roughly 0.6 square miles of water within its boundaries. Both are a short drive east of our shop in East Islip.

What that means for water damage

Homes along the tidal stretch of the river and the bay shoreline face storm surge and high-tide flooding during nor'easters and tropical storms. Inland, the problems are the same as anywhere: pipes, water heaters, appliances and basements. The difference is often the house itself. An older home with plaster, hardwood and long plumbing runs has more finishes worth saving and more places for water to hide.

Drying plaster, hardwood and old framing

Plaster walls hold water longer than drywall and are worth saving when they can be dried in place. Solid hardwood floors can often be dried with the right setup and patience; engineered and laminate products often can't. Old-growth framing is dense and dries slowly. None of that is a reason to rip things out early. It's a reason to take daily moisture readings and let the numbers, not the calendar, decide when it's dry.

We set a dry goal using similar materials in the same house that never got wet, log readings every day, and keep equipment running until the readings hit it. That log also goes into your claim file. See structural drying.

River and bay water is contaminated

Brackish river and bay water that comes in during a storm is Category 3. Porous materials it reached generally have to be removed, and the rest gets cleaned and sanitized before drying. It also falls under flood insurance, not homeowners insurance, while wind-driven rain through a damaged roof often falls under homeowners. We document both separately.

Higher-value contents

If artwork, antiques, rugs or documents got wet, move them to a dry room if you safely can, and don't try to dry them with heat. Photograph them where they were first. We'll tell you what we can handle and when a specialist conservator is the better call.