NYS and NYC M/WBE Certified Contractor
Most storm damage in Elwood doesn’t announce itself. A tree limb punches through a soffit, rain gets in, and by the time you notice the smell three weeks later, mold has already taken hold inside the wall cavity. That’s the real risk here not just the visible damage, but what the water does after it disappears from sight. Thermal imaging changes that. It lets us find moisture in places that look and feel dry, so nothing gets missed and nothing comes back to surprise you later.
Elwood’s housing stock makes this even more important. Most homes here were built between 1940 and 1969, and storm damage that disturbs older insulation, roofing materials, or wall finishes can expose asbestos or lead paint. That’s a real possibility in a neighborhood like this, and most restoration companies aren’t licensed to handle it. We hold the NYS DOL Asbestos and Mold licenses, along with USEPA Lead and RRP certifications, so if that situation comes up, you’re already covered.
When the job is done, you get a home that’s fully dried, fully documented, and ready for your insurance adjuster not a surface-level fix that holds up for a month and then fails.
We’re based in Bohemia, NY right here in Suffolk County and have been doing restoration work across Long Island for over 12 years. Our CEO Jessica Dussan and VP Leo Torres aren’t background figures. Their names show up in customer reviews because they’re actually involved, and that kind of accountability matters when you’re trusting someone with a $700,000 home on a street off Cuba Hill Road or Jericho Turnpike in Elwood.
After the August 2024 flooding event that hit the Town of Huntington the one that left sinkholes on local roads and sent Town Supervisor Ed Smyth issuing emergency waivers for flooded basements our team was already working in this area. We know how water moves through Elwood’s flat terrain. We know what these mid-century homes look like on the inside. That’s not something you get from a national franchise routing calls through a call center.
We hold a full stack of licenses: Suffolk County General Contractor, NYS DOL Mold, NYS DOL Asbestos, USEPA Lead, USEPA RRP, and IICRC-certified technicians on every job. That’s the complete credential set for legal, professional storm damage restoration in New York State.
When you call, you reach someone who can actually help not a voicemail or an answering service. We ask a few quick questions about what happened, and if it’s an emergency, we move fast. Documented response times from our customers put us on-site within an hour in many cases. In a Long Island summer, that window matters more than most people realize warm, humid air accelerates mold growth significantly once moisture gets behind a wall.
Once we’re there, we do a full assessment before anything else. That includes thermal imaging to find hidden moisture, a visual inspection of the roof, siding, foundation, and interior, and a clear explanation of what we’re looking at and what it means. If your home was built before 1978 which describes a large portion of Elwood’s housing stock we’ll flag any areas where storm damage may have disturbed asbestos-containing materials or lead paint, and we handle those under the appropriate NYS DOL licenses. No subcontracting that piece out, no gaps in accountability.
From there, we handle water extraction, structural drying, mold prevention, debris removal, and repairs all under one contract. We also work directly with your insurance company, document everything they need, and make sure the claim reflects the full scope of damage. Structural work in the Town of Huntington requires permits through the town’s Building Division, and we handle that process too. You don’t have to manage four different contractors or chase paperwork. That’s the point.
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Storm damage rarely stops at one thing. A nor’easter that drops a tree on your roof in Elwood also lets water into the attic, which saturates the insulation, which drips into the ceiling below, which soaks the subfloor. By the time you’re mopping up the living room, there’s already a moisture problem three layers above it. The restoration process has to account for all of it not just what’s visible.
We handle the full scope: emergency tarping and board-up to stop active exposure, water extraction and structural drying, mold remediation under NYS DOL licensure, asbestos assessment and abatement if disturbed materials are found, structural repair, and final cosmetic restoration. Every step is covered by the same team, under the same contract, with the same point of contact. For Elwood homeowners managing a job, a family, and a disrupted house at the same time, that matters.
We also offer storm hardening after the restoration is complete impact-resistant roofing materials, reinforced siding, and structural upgrades designed to hold up better when the next storm comes through. Suffolk County is in the top ten most hurricane-vulnerable areas in the country. Making your home more resilient after a damage event is one of the most practical decisions you can make.
In most cases, yes but the details matter. Standard homeowner’s insurance policies in New York typically cover sudden storm damage from wind, hail, falling trees, and rain intrusion caused by a covered event. What they don’t always cover is damage that results from a lack of maintenance or gradual deterioration, which is why insurance companies sometimes push back on older roofs or pre-existing moisture issues. In Elwood, where a significant portion of the housing stock dates to the 1940s through 1960s, that distinction can come up.
The most important thing you can do after a storm is document everything immediately photos, video, timestamps and call a licensed restoration company before the adjuster arrives. Your policy likely requires prompt mitigation, meaning you can’t wait for the adjuster to show up before starting the drying process. We work directly with insurance companies, handle the documentation, and bill the carrier directly in most cases. That removes a significant amount of stress from a process that’s already stressful enough.
Mold can begin growing within 24 to 48 hours of water intrusion under the right conditions and Long Island’s humid summers are exactly the right conditions. Once moisture gets behind drywall, into insulation, or under flooring, the surface temperature and humidity inside a wall cavity can accelerate mold growth faster than most homeowners expect. By the time you notice a musty smell, the colony is already established.
This is one of the reasons response speed matters so much in Elwood specifically. The flat terrain here means water doesn’t drain quickly during heavy rainfall, and basements and lower-level spaces can stay damp for days after a storm if they’re not actively dried. We use commercial-grade dehumidifiers and air movers, not just fans, and our IICRC-certified technicians follow the ANSI/IICRC S500 standard for water damage restoration. If mold is found, remediation is handled under our NYS DOL Mold License which is a legal requirement in New York State, not optional.
Yes, and it’s a legitimate concern for a large portion of Elwood’s housing stock. Homes built before the late 1970s commonly contain asbestos in roofing shingles, floor tiles, pipe insulation, attic insulation, and textured wall or ceiling finishes. Storm damage that cracks walls, disturbs roofing materials, or tears out older insulation can release asbestos fibers into the air which is a health hazard and a regulatory issue that requires a licensed contractor to address.
In New York State, asbestos abatement must be performed by a contractor holding a NYS DOL Asbestos License. This is not something a general contractor or standard restoration company can legally handle. We hold that license, along with USEPA Lead and RRP certifications for homes with lead paint. If we find or suspect disturbed asbestos-containing materials during a storm damage assessment in your Elwood home, we handle it in-house no subcontracting, no delays, no liability gap between separate companies trying to coordinate.
For cosmetic repairs patching drywall, replacing a few shingles, painting generally no permit is required. But for structural repairs, full roof replacements, or significant interior work, the Town of Huntington’s Building Division does require a building permit. This applies to work done in Elwood, which falls under the Town of Huntington’s jurisdiction. Skipping the permit process on structural work can create real problems when you go to sell the home or file a future insurance claim.
We handle the permit process as part of the restoration. We know what the Town of Huntington requires, what documentation needs to be submitted, and how to keep the project moving without unnecessary delays. If you’re dealing with storm damage and trying to manage your daily life at the same time, having a contractor who handles permitting as a matter of course rather than leaving it to you is one less thing on your plate.
The first priority is safety don’t go near downed power lines, and don’t enter a structurally compromised space. Once it’s safe, start documenting everything with your phone before anything is moved or cleaned up. Photos and video with timestamps are what your insurance company will want to see, and the more thorough your documentation, the stronger your claim.
After that, call a licensed restoration company before you call your insurance company. This might feel counterintuitive, but starting mitigation quickly is actually a requirement under most homeowner’s policies waiting for an adjuster while water continues to spread can be used against you in a claim. We can deploy emergency tarping, board-up, and water extraction the same day, and we’ll document the damage in a format that works for your insurer. The August 2024 storm that caused widespread flooding and sinkholes across the Town of Huntington is a good example of why having a number to call before the next storm hits is worth doing now, not after.
This is the right question to ask, and not enough homeowners ask it before signing a contract. In New York State, mold remediation legally requires a NYS Department of Labor Mold Contractor License. Asbestos abatement requires a separate NYS DOL Asbestos Contractor License. Structural repair work in Suffolk County requires a Suffolk County General Contractor License. Work on homes built before 1978 involving painted surfaces requires a contractor certified under the USEPA Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule. These are legal requirements not industry suggestions.
You can verify contractor licenses directly through the NYS DOL website and the Suffolk County licensing portal. We hold all of the above, along with NYC General Contractor and Nassau County General Contractor licenses, USEPA Lead and RRP certifications, and IICRC-certified technicians. In a town like Elwood where homes are valuable, older, and often contain materials that require specialized handling working with a contractor who can show you a full, verifiable license stack isn’t just smart. It’s the difference between a restoration that holds up and one that creates new problems down the road.
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