Calls for cleanup service surge after Sandy

In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, local firms providing tree removal and disaster recovery services are striving to keep up with the flood of phone calls for service.

With five phone lines, Steven Goodman, president of Mineola-based A1 All Counties Tree Service, said that his firm has been averaging as many as 200 phone calls an hour.

Faced with the huge demand for clearing roadways and homes of fallen trees, A1 has hired 10 more workers, bringing its work crew to 27 people. Nevertheless, Goodman said his backlog amounts to a waiting period of “probably” two to three weeks.

Bob Putko, owner of Restoration Services Inc., whose menu includes cleaning up the mess left behind by floods, said the megastrom has translated into nonstop phone calls, a backlog of  “20 jobs already” and a waiting list.

Prices, Putko said, can vary from $1,000 for a two-to-three hour job requiring “sucking out three-feet of water” to $10,000 for an entire house that requires everything from “cutting Sheetrock to bringing in a Dumpster.”