After wind, limbs or a downpour in Wallington
Storm Damage Repair in Wallington, NJ
Did a limb land on the roof, or did a downpour find a way in? Storm damage repair in Wallington starts with safety, then photographs, then a roofer's look at what wind and water did.
Call (973) 791-8220 and ask about a roofer's visit after a storm.
Signs you may have spotted
- Shingles scattered across the lawn or the street after wind
- A limb, or part of a tree, resting on the roof or the gutters
- Metal bent, lifted or missing at the ridge, chimney or edges
- A new ceiling stain that appeared during or just after the storm
- A gutter pulled away from the house or hanging by one end
Jot these down first
After a storm, before the phone
- Photos before anything is thrown out: lawn, each side of the roof, any limb, each stained ceiling.
- The claim number, if you opened a claim with your insurer.
- Receipts for any temporary cover or cleanup.
- The street address, and which wires, if any, came down.
- Where water got inside.
Walk away and get help if
- Until the utility says otherwise, a downed wire carries current. Stay clear, leave tangled trees alone, and report it: 911, or 1-800-436-7734 for PSE&G.
- A ladder needs ten feet of space from power lines. If one touches a wire, step away from it and dial 911.
- After the storm a ceiling bows downward, heavy with water. Keep the room beneath it empty and dial 911.
- Drops falling from a light fitting or a socket: walk out of that room, touch nothing, and dial 911 once you are somewhere dry.
Four things people ask
Who gets the first call when a wire is down?
PSE&G's advice on a downed wire: assume it is energized and report it, either to 911 or to the utility's emergency line, 1-800-436-7734. Leave any tree tangled in the lines for the crews. Roof questions wait until the wire has been dealt with.
What does the state say to do before cleanup?
New Jersey's insurance department asks policyholders to notify the insurer right away, make temporary repairs, keep every receipt, photograph damage before discarding anything and hold on to the damaged property. Nothing obliges a policyholder to hire the contractor the insurer names.
Has Wallington had storm water trouble before?
Yes. The Passaic River flooded the borough twice around Hurricane Irene in 2011, per CBS New York, and the county's hazard plan maps close to a fifth of the borough's acreage in the 1 percent floodplain.
Is storm repair different in Garfield, Passaic and Wood-Ridge?
The steps match; the local water and offices differ. Each town has its own notes: Garfield's page, Passaic's page and Wood-Ridge's page. Dial (973) 791-8220 and name your street.
What usually sets it off
- Wind lifts shingle tabs whose sealing strips never fully stuck down
- Falling limbs crack shingles, dent metal and knock gutters loose
- Rain driven sideways gets under lifted edges and thin flashing
- Debris in valleys and gutters sends water over the edge
- Remnants of a tropical storm drop rain faster than gutters can carry it
The one-to-ten gut check
After the storm, on the gut check
8–10
a wire is down, a ceiling bulges or water reaches a fixture. Back away from it first. The 911 and PSE&G calls come before anything else.
4–7
shingles are gone or a stain is spreading, and more rain is forecast. Dial (973) 791-8220 this week, mention the storm date and ask about a time to look.
1–3
a few shingles on the lawn and a dry attic. Photograph the roof from each side, save the pieces, and call if a stain shows up.
Around Wallington
Bergen County's 2026 hazard plan counts 117.85 of Wallington's 670.57 acres, or 17.58 percent, inside the floodplain with a 1 percent yearly chance of flooding, and 31.46 percent once the 0.2 percent zone is added. That describes ground, not any one roof. The link to roofs is where roof water ends up.
In late August 2011, CBS New York reported, the Passaic River flooded Wallington twice around Hurricane Irene, with new evacuations the second time.
Ida's rain on 1 and 2 September 2021 is on record nearby: 9.02 inches at North Arlington and 8.44 at Newark Airport, with a peak hour of 3.65 inches at Newark. The state network's write-up does not list Wallington.
What the calendar does to it
Which months bring the water
No month is dry at Teterboro Airport. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals run from 2.82 inches in February to 4.45 in July, and June, August, September and December all land above 4 inches.
Newark Airport's 8.44 inches over 1 and 2 September 2021 was nearly twice July's average at Teterboro. Those are two different stations, so treat the comparison as rough.
Where the rules live
Storm repairs and the paperwork office
Storm damage to the roof covering, once repaired or replaced, sits on the state's ordinary-maintenance list when the house is detached and shelters no more than two households; that means no permit application, notice or inspection. The code's standards still apply.
The insurance side has its own paper trail. Where the borough or city office fits in is on the town-by-town list.
Roof jobs sorted by sight
Jot these down first
Before you call (973) 791-8220, note the street address, where water showed up and the roof's age if known. If you rent, talk to the owner first. Towns: Wallington, Garfield, Passaic, Wood-Ridge.