Suffolk officials ask residents to report nor'easter damage to their homes, businesses

Seeking to document the extent of destruction caused by the weekend nor'easter, Suffolk County officials are asking residents to report damage to their primary residence or business through the New York State Damage Self-Reporting Tool.

While a damage report is not an application for aid, authorities said, the tool's goal is to collect information that may help state, county and local officials identify supplemental storm-related damages and assist the officials with requests for available federal assistance programs.

In a statement by Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine and the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, officials urged residents to report damage even if they're unsure of how serious the damage was, and to include photographs when possible.

Officials urged homeowners to also contact their insurance carriers to report any damage, adding that if flooding or debris blocked access to areas and kept them from assessing potential damage, they should include that information during the reporting process.

The self-reporting system is different from filing an insurance claim, and officials stressed it is not an application for financial assistance, but merely a tool to help authorities assess the true extent of storm-related damage.

Officials said residents and business owners should report:

• Any repairable damage that does not affect a home's structure, such as interior flooding and damage to personal property.
• A tree or trees falling into a home, or any structural damage that requires "extensive" repairs.
• A home or business that is a total loss.
• Floodwater that entered a business and damaged inventory or equipment.
• A tree striking a business, damage to a roof or wall, or electrical damage requiring "extensive" repairs.
• Storm damage that caused a business's building or its contents to be destroyed, or damage that has resulted in a business being unable to safely operate.

Damage to vehicles and damage to a fence line or retaining wall are not eligible for self-reporting.

Residents can access the self-reporting site at on.ny.gov/3xLeNbY.

For more information about the process, residents can visit the county Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services site.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.