Storm damage to your bulkhead or dock: what to do in the first 48 hours

Stock photo (Unsplash), not a job photo.

Long Island’s storm season runs right through the winter. Nor’easters stack water in the bays for several tide cycles, and that’s when a tired bulkhead lets go. Here’s what to do once the water drops.

Hour 0–6: safety

• Stay off the edge. A sinkhole behind a bulkhead is often bigger underground than it looks on the surface. Keep kids, pets, cars and lawn equipment back.
• Kill the dock power at the breaker if pedestals, lifts or lights went under. Have an electrician check them before turning power back on.
• Don’t walk damaged docks or floats. Decking hides broken stringers and pilings.

Hour 6–24: document everything

• Take dated photos and video: wide shots of the whole wall, close-ups of breaks, gaps and leaning sections, the yard behind it, every piling you can see, and the neighbors’ walls on both sides.
• Note or photograph the high-water mark on fences, sheds or the house.
• Keep any debris you remove (or photograph it before it goes).

Hour 24–48: insurance and an assessment

• Call your insurer and open a claim. Be ready for a no on the wall itself: the standard NFIP flood policy states that seawalls, bulkheads, piers and docks are not covered. Get the decision in writing.
• Get a marine contractor to look at it. They’ll tell you whether it’s a repair, a temporary stabilization or a replacement. Request one here.

How repairs and permits work after a storm

• Minor in-kind repairs (cap boards, a tie-back) often don’t need a DEC permit. Confirm with your town.
• Federal: the Army Corps’ Nationwide Permit 3 covers repairing or replacing previously authorized structures damaged by storms, if the work starts (or is under contract) within two years.
• Replacement usually goes through DEC’s bulkhead general permit (in place or landward, up to 18 inches higher, no application fee) plus your town, city, village or Trustees permit.
• Equipment rules apply even in a hurry. In the Town of Babylon, a barge or crane can’t be tied to a residential bulkhead unless it’s working under a building, dredging, DEC or Army Corps permit (§ 86-8C).
• Seasonal docks: in Southampton, Town Code requires seasonal docks and moorings to be out of the water by December 1.

Use the rebuild to fix the cause

If the bay came over the top, that’s the moment to raise the wall, ideally together with your neighbors. See raising your bulkhead.