The wind has dropped, the power may still be out, and there is a leak, a broken window or a tree where it should not be. What you do over the next few days has a lot to do with what the storm ends up costing. This guide takes storm damage recovery in order, from the first morning through the weeks of claims, contractors and permits, with examples from storms that hit Long Island.
Day One: Make the Property Safe
- Treat every downed wire as live. PSEG Long Island's storm tips say to stay at least 30 feet away and never approach or drive over a downed line. Report it to PSEG Long Island or 911 right away.
- Report the outage, and plan for it to last. PSEG Long Island takes outage reports through its app and by text once you register your account. During Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020, outage system failures kept some customer texts from being processed, so if one channel fails, try another. Big storms can mean long outages: at the peak of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, 90 percent of LIPA's 1.1 million customers had no power.
- Keep generators outside. Ready.gov says generators and fuel belong outdoors and at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages. Never run one in a garage or other enclosed space, and make sure there is a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the house.
Stay off a damaged roof, and keep children and pets away from debris piles, which can hide nails, glass and wires.
Day One: Photograph the Damage and Call Your Insurer
After Sandy, New York's Department of Financial Services (DFS) told homeowners to photograph or film their losses before cleaning up, to report claims quickly with the policy number, to keep damaged personal items until the claim is settled, and to log every conversation with the insurer, with names, dates and times.
- Walk the outside first: roof, siding, gutters, windows, fences and sheds. Take wide shots, then close-ups.
- Inside, photograph every ceiling stain, wet wall, damaged floor and window frame, and the attic if you can reach it safely.
- Photograph the model and serial number labels on damaged appliances, and keep the original files with their date stamps.
- Call your insurer or agent, describe the damage and get a claim number. Policies commonly ask for prompt notice of a loss.
After Isaias, insurers reported a spike in claims, and DFS let them bring in out-of-state adjusters on temporary permits. It also said it expected insurers to accept photos and video as proof without requiring a physical inspection.
Days One to Three: Temporary Repairs
Homeowners policies commonly require you to protect the property from further damage and to keep a record of what temporary repairs cost, though the wording varies by policy. If rain keeps coming through an open roof for a week, the insurer can argue that some of the damage came from the delay. After Sandy, DFS advised homeowners to make only the repairs needed to prevent further damage and to wait for the insurer before permanent repairs.
- Tarp roof openings and board up broken windows and doors. Our post on emergency board-up service explains how that work is done.
- Keep every receipt: tarps, plywood, fuel, a hotel room, a crew.
- Keep damaged materials, such as a piece of soaked carpet, until the adjuster has seen them or says they can go.
The First Week: Drying Out Wind-Driven Rain and Roof Leaks
Wind pushes rain sideways, into places that stay dry in an ordinary storm: around window frames, behind siding and flashing, through soffit and ridge vents, and under lifted shingles. The water often runs inside a wall or across the top of a ceiling before it shows, so the wet area is usually larger than the stain.
The EPA says water-damaged areas and items should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. In post-storm property restoration, drying comes before any rebuilding, and the first week usually covers:
- The attic. Wet insulation holds water against the ceiling drywall and framing, so it is usually pulled back or removed.
- Ceilings. A ceiling that sags is holding water. Keep people out from under it.
- Walls under windows. Moisture meters find water inside wall cavities that you cannot see, and baseboards may come off so air can reach the cavity.
Air movers and dehumidifiers run until readings in the framing and subfloor are back to normal. If water came in at ground level from storm surge or rising water, that is a flood, with different cleanup and a separate insurance policy. Our guide to flood damage restoration covers that case.
The First Week: Trees and Damaged Service Lines
When Isaias reached Long Island on August 4, 2020, it brought sustained winds of 45 to 50 mph and gusts up to 70 mph. The LIPA task force that reviewed the storm described a long path of fallen trees. PSEG Long Island's updates during the restoration counted about 420,000 affected customers, but the task force's 30-day report put the peak at 513,790 customers out at once and cited about 645,000 customer outages across the whole event. Full restoration took eight days.
Our post on what to do after storm and fallen tree damage covers judging whether a tree is stable. Two more points matter for the timeline:
- Service lines torn from the house. PSEG Long Island makes the area safe, but the entrance cable and meter pan belong to the homeowner. PSEG Long Island says a damaged entrance cable has to be repaired by a licensed electrician before it can safely restore service, so book an electrician early.
- Tree removal. Photograph the tree where it fell before it is cut up, and keep the invoice. Coverage for removal varies by policy, so check with your adjuster.
The Following Weeks: Claim Deadlines
Deadlines come from your policy and from state law, so read the conditions section of your policy. A few points apply to many New York homeowners claims:
- Proof of loss. If the insurer sends a written request for proof of loss along with the forms, New York Insurance Law gives you 60 days from receiving them to return it, unless the notice allows longer.
- Hurricane deductibles. Some policies carry a separate hurricane deductible, which DFS described in 2012 as typically 1 to 5 percent of the home's insured value. After Sandy, DFS said those deductibles were not triggered because Sandy did not have sustained hurricane-force winds when it reached New York.
- Flood is separate. Flood damage is covered only by flood insurance, which has its own claim rules.
- Keep the paper trail. Keep the call log going, and keep copies of every estimate, invoice and form you send.
If you cannot settle a disagreement with the insurer, DFS takes complaints about insurance companies through its website.
The Following Weeks: Contractors, Storm Chasers and Permits
A May 2026 consumer alert from New York's Division of Consumer Protection lists red flags that include a contractor who knocks on your door unexpectedly, pressure to sign the same day, demands for cash, wire transfer, Zelle or gift cards, and a request to sign your insurance check over to the contractor. A few rules matter most in the rush after a storm:
- Emergency contracts. New York's General Business Law generally lets you cancel a home improvement contract until midnight of the third business day after signing. The exception is emergency work you asked for, and only if you give the contractor a separate statement in your own handwriting, dated and signed, that describes the emergency and waives the right to cancel. Read anything you are handed to sign while the house is open to the weather.
- Licenses. Nassau and Suffolk counties license home improvement contractors. Check the license with the county, and get a written contract for the permanent repairs.
- Payments. The Attorney General's office advises tying payments to completed stages of the work and never paying the full price up front.
- Permits. Outside New York City, under the state's Uniform Code rules, the permit exemption for repairs does not cover work that affects the structural system, such as rafters, beams and load-bearing walls. Those repairs need a permit from your city, town or village building department, so settle who will apply for it before work starts.
FEMA Assistance After a Federal Disaster Declaration
FEMA's help for households opens only when the President declares a major disaster that includes Individual Assistance for your county. It is meant for uninsured and underinsured losses. Long Island's recent storms show how differently this plays out:
- Superstorm Sandy, October 2012. The federal declaration came on October 30, 2012, and included help for individuals and households in Nassau and Suffolk from that day.
- Tropical Storm Isaias, August 2020. The declaration came on October 2, 2020, almost two months after the storm, and covered public assistance for local governments in Nassau and Suffolk. FEMA's records show no individual assistance for either county.
- Remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 2021. FEMA's incident period ran from September 1 to 3, and the declaration followed on September 5. FEMA added individual assistance for Nassau on September 10 and for Suffolk on September 12.
When a declaration is made, check DisasterAssistance.gov for your county and the deadline to apply, and check again if your county is not listed, since counties can be added later. After Ida, the state asked homeowners and renters to make every effort to document their losses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does storm damage recovery take?
Safety checks, photos, the first call to the insurer and temporary repairs belong in the first day or two. Drying usually takes several days, depending on how much water got in. Claims, permits and permanent repairs can take weeks or longer after a large storm, when insurers, contractors and building departments are all busy.
Should I wait for the adjuster before doing anything?
No. Make the temporary repairs needed to stop further damage, such as tarping, boarding up and drying, and keep the receipts. Wait for the insurer before permanent repairs.
Can I get FEMA money after any big storm?
Only if the President declares a major disaster that includes Individual Assistance for your county. After Isaias, Nassau and Suffolk received public assistance for local governments, and homeowners had no FEMA individual assistance to apply for.
Get Help With Storm Damage Recovery
Open roofs, wet insulation and soaked walls need attention while the claim is still being worked out. Spartan Restoration can tarp, board up, extract water and dry the structure.
Spartan Restoration takes calls 24 hours a day.