Water Damage Restoration in Sayville, NY

Water and storm damage in Sayville

Sayville has about 16,600 residents on the south shore of Long Island, bounded by the Great South Bay to the south, Greenes Creek to the west and Brown Creek to the east. Ferries to Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines leave from here. It's a short drive east of our East Islip shop on Montauk Highway.

The streets closest to the bay and the creeks are exposed to storm surge and high tides during nor'easters and tropical storms. Further inland, water damage looks like it does anywhere: pipes, appliances, water heaters and basements. Superstorm Sandy damaged or destroyed more than 20,000 structures across Suffolk County in 2012, a reminder of what the bay can do in a big enough storm.

After a storm

• Wait for outside water to go down before pumping a basement.
• Photograph the water line, the roof and windows separately. Surge and wind-driven rain go to different policies.
• Treat any outside water as contaminated.

Which policy pays for which damage

Standard homeowners policies exclude damage from rising outside water. That's flood damage, and it needs a flood policy, most often through the National Flood Insurance Program. Wind-driven rain that came in through a damaged roof or window is often covered by homeowners insurance. In a big storm, many homes have both. Your adjuster will draw that line, so it helps to have it documented room by room.

A standard NFIP policy caps building coverage for a single-family home at $250,000 and contents at $100,000. Many coastal New York policies also carry a separate, percentage-based deductible for named storms. Check your declarations page before storm season.

Contaminated water

Bay and creek water is Category 3. Porous materials it reached generally have to be removed, cut well above the water line, and what stays gets cleaned and sanitized before drying. See the flood cleanup guide and storm and hurricane damage.