Two Days Out: The Big Prep
When the forecast starts talking about a named storm or a significant nor'easter, do these things in the 48 hours before it arrives.
Walk the exterior and look for existing problems
Spend 15 minutes walking around your house and looking at every wall. You are looking for:
- Loose or lifted siding panels
- Gaps at trim junctions
- Missing or damaged flashing around windows and doors
- Panels that rattle when you tap them
- Any wood rot visible at the bottom of walls or around window frames
- Loose gutters or downspouts
If you find something loose, secure it temporarily. A few finishing nails, some exterior caulk, or in a pinch a strip of duct tape can keep a loose panel from ripping off and taking neighbors with it.
Clear your gutters
Full gutters back up water onto the siding and under roofing. A 5-minute gutter clean before a storm can prevent a $3,000 repair after.
Check kickout flashing at roof-to-wall junctions
Stand at any point where your roof meets a wall (at the corner of a dormer, under a second-story overhang, etc.). Look for the small piece of metal flashing that directs water away from the wall where the gutter ends. This is "kickout flashing." If it is missing or damaged, water will pour onto the siding during heavy rain.
A missing kickout flashing is the single most common cause of wall-rot damage I find during tear-offs. If you can see that yours is missing, call us before the storm and we can install one in 30 minutes for about $150.
Secure loose outdoor items
Patio furniture, grills, trash cans, kids' toys, pool covers, garden statues, decorative items. Anything that can become a projectile in 50+ mph wind. Tie it down, bring it inside, or move it away from siding walls.
In Isaias (2020), I personally repaired 4 walls where a flying trampoline or patio umbrella had taken out a section of siding. Every single one of those was preventable.
Trim any obviously loose tree branches
Do not do anything that requires a ladder. But if you have a branch hanging visibly loose over your roof or wall, and you can reach it from the ground with a pole saw, cut it down. Otherwise leave it.
The Day Before: Final Checks
Take photos of your exterior
Walk around your house with your phone and take 15-20 photos of every wall, gable, window, and corner. Timestamp them automatically (modern phones do this). If you have storm damage, these photos are the baseline for your insurance claim.
Do not skip this. I have customers who saved $4,000-$8,000 on insurance claims because they had pre-storm photos proving their siding was in good condition before the storm hit.
Charge your phone and have our number saved
Save our number in your phone: (516) 555-0100. If you have significant damage, you will want to text us a photo as soon as it is safe. Named storm prep matters more than most people think.
Know where your water shutoff is
If a wall gets breached and water is pouring in, you may need to shut off water to your house to prevent secondary damage from interior sprinklers or pipes. Know where your main shutoff valve is. Most LI homes have it in the basement or crawlspace on the wall closest to the street.
Have tarps and a staple gun if you can
If you have a basic tarp (8x10 blue poly tarp, $12 at Home Depot) and a staple gun, you can temporarily cover a damaged wall yourself if the damage is small. We will still come tarp it properly, but a DIY tarp can stop active water intrusion while you wait.
During the Storm: Stay Inside
Do not go outside during the storm to "check" on things
I cannot stress this enough. Flying debris during a nor'easter or hurricane can kill you. Every single year on Long Island during named storms, someone goes outside to check on their house and gets hit by a branch or a piece of someone else's siding.
If you hear something hit the house, note the time and the direction, and stay inside. We will assess damage after the storm passes.
Keep a flashlight and your phone
Power often goes out during LI storms. Flashlight, phone charged, basic supplies. Standard emergency kit stuff.
Listen for water intrusion
If you hear water dripping inside where it should not be, or you see a water stain forming on a ceiling or wall, you have a breach somewhere. Make a mental note of location and time. Do not try to fix it during the storm. Just note it.
After the Storm: First 2 Hours
Do not climb on the roof
Wet roof, post-storm wind gusts, compromised structural integrity. No climbing. We will inspect from the ground and with a ladder only when safe.
Walk the exterior and document
Once it is safe to go outside (no active wind, no downed power lines, no flooding), walk around your house with your phone and take photos of:
- Any damaged or missing siding panels
- Any debris lodged in or against walls
- Any water intrusion or staining
- Any fallen tree branches near or on the house
- Any flooding around the foundation
Call us if you have active damage
If you have exposed sheathing, a hole in the wall, missing panels, or visible water getting into the house, call us at (516) 555-0100 immediately.
During named storms and major nor'easters, we prioritize emergency tarp calls over scheduled work. We will be on-site within 2-3 hours during daylight, or first thing in the morning if the call comes at night.
Tell Linda (or whoever answers) that it is an emergency and give us:
- Your address
- Your phone number
- Brief description of the damage
- Whether water is actively getting in
Contact your insurance carrier
Call your homeowners insurance carrier and open a claim. Most carriers have 24-hour claim lines. Give them:
- Date and time of the damage
- Brief description
- Photos (they will want them)
- Whether you have arranged for emergency tarp (we will help you document this)
The First Two Days After
Let us tarp the wall
If you have active damage, our team will come out, assess, and install an emergency tarp over any opening in the wall. This stops further water intrusion and buys you time for the insurance adjuster to visit and for us to schedule permanent repair.
Tarps are not free but they are inexpensive ($150-$400 depending on size and complexity). Most insurance policies cover emergency tarping as part of the damage claim.
Meet the insurance adjuster
The insurance adjuster will usually visit within 3-10 days after the claim opens, depending on how many claims the carrier has in process. We are happy to meet the adjuster on site with you if you want, especially if the damage is significant. Adjusters appreciate having the contractor present and it usually speeds the claim.
See our insurance claims page for the full claim process.
Keep all damaged material
Do not throw away any damaged siding panels, flashing, or trim. The adjuster may want to see them. We bag and label them for you when we tarp.
Do not sign any contracts for permanent repair yet
Wait for the adjuster visit and the claim to be approved before signing a permanent repair contract. This is standard practice and we will walk you through it.
Planning the Permanent Repair
Once the adjuster has visited and the insurance claim is approved, we can schedule the permanent repair. Typical timeline:
- Day 1-3: Claim approved, scope finalized
- Day 4-7: Materials ordered (we usually have common vinyl colors in stock, specialty materials may take 5-10 days)
- Day 7-14: Repair scheduled and completed
Small repairs (1-2 panels) often happen same-week. Larger repairs (a whole wall or more) may take 2-3 weeks to schedule around weather and crew availability.
What to Do Better Before the Next Storm
Once the current repair is complete, use the experience to prep better for next time:
- Install missing kickout flashing (we do this for $150-$300 per junction)
- Upgrade to a more wind-rated fastening spec on any loose siding areas
- Replace aging or brittle caulking at all trim junctions
- Consider upgrading to a storm-rated material (Hardie, Maibec) on your next full reside
- Keep our number saved for the next emergency
Long Island will see more storms. The preparation you do now pays off the next time one comes through.
The One-Page Version
48 hours before:
- [ ] Walk exterior, note loose panels or damage
- [ ] Clean gutters
- [ ] Check kickout flashing
- [ ] Secure loose outdoor items
- [ ] Trim obviously loose ground-reachable branches
24 hours before:
- [ ] Take photos of every wall
- [ ] Charge phone, save our number
- [ ] Locate water shutoff
- [ ] Have tarp and staple gun ready if possible
During:
- [ ] Stay inside
- [ ] Note any impacts or water intrusion
- [ ] Do not go outside to check
Immediately after:
- [ ] Walk exterior when safe
- [ ] Take damage photos
- [ ] Call us at (516) 555-0100 if there is active damage
- [ ] Open insurance claim
Next 48 hours:
- [ ] Let us install emergency tarp
- [ ] Meet the adjuster
- [ ] Keep damaged material
- [ ] Do not sign permanent repair until claim approved
We Are Here When You Need Us
The company was born during the Sandy cleanup in 2013. Storm response is part of who we are. When a named storm hits Long Island, we are on the phones, in the trucks, and meeting customers at damaged walls by first light the next morning. That will not change.
If a storm is coming and you want a quick pre-storm walk-through to identify anything that should be fixed first, call us. We will come out for free. No pitch, no pressure, just a real conversation about your specific house.
Schedule a storm prep walk-through → Free estimate Or call Mike direct → (516) 555-0100
Still have questions?
This guide was written by Mike Reilly. If your situation has a wrinkle we did not cover, call us direct. Most questions we answer by phone take five minutes.