Where the Hofstra area sits
The Hofstra campus covers about 244 acres with roughly 117 buildings, and it faces the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum across Hempstead Turnpike. The campus does not sit entirely in Uniondale. Reports differ on the exact line, but part of it lies in the Village of Hempstead, and the rest is in the Uniondale area of the Town of Hempstead.
That split matters for this page. If your building is on or near campus, give the dispatcher the street address, because dispatch for a Village of Hempstead address is handled as an ask-when-you-call situation. We list ZIP codes 11553, 11555 and 11556 as covered, and 11549 as nearby.
Residence halls and multi-unit buildings
Campus housing includes the Netherlands complex, where residence halls are named for Dutch cities. Buildings like these have many rooms stacked on shared plumbing, so one failed fixture or supply line can reach several floors. A ceiling stain two stories below the source is common in any multi-unit building.
If you manage a building or live in one, name every floor and room that looks wet when you call. The crew checks the rooms around and under the source with a moisture meter, because water travels through pipe chases, floor joints and wall cavities. Decisions about unit access belong to the building owner or housing office, not to the crew.
Off-campus homes and rentals near the Turnpike
Streets near campus also hold houses and apartments, and some are rented to several tenants. A broken washing machine hose or a failed water heater is a landlord and tenant question as much as a cleanup question. Tell the dispatcher who owns the property and who holds the key.
Tenants should photograph the damage and tell the landlord in writing, then check the lease and any renters policy. The leak source, such as an appliance leak or a water heater leak, also affects who handles the repair.
What we have not verified
We have not verified the FEMA flood-zone status for the Hofstra area. You can check an exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and a mapped zone does not predict a loss. We also found no source documenting past flooding at the campus, so this page does not describe the area as flood-prone.
What we can say is general. Pipes fail, appliances leak and drains back up in any building. Colder months bring frozen pipe water damage to Long Island generally, and an unheated room over a long break is one way a freeze goes unnoticed. That is a general risk, not a reported event at Hofstra.
What to do before the crew arrives
- Keep people and pets out of standing water if outlets, cords or appliances are nearby.
- Shut off the water supply only if the valve is dry, reachable and safe to turn.
- Do not touch breakers while standing in water. If the panel is hard to reach safely, tell the dispatcher.
- Photograph or film the damage before moving anything, if it is safe to do so.
- Move belongings that are still dry out of the path of the water where that is safe.
- Do not use household fans or an ordinary vacuum on sewage or contaminated water.
Water is spreading right now? The dispatch line is open around the clock.
☎ (516) 845-9582Extraction and drying in a building with many rooms
The first job is removing standing water with pumps and extractors, then taking out materials that cannot dry in place. Air movers and dehumidifiers are then placed room by room, and moisture readings decide when the equipment can leave. The published ANSI/IICRC S500 standard sorts water into clean, gray and black categories, and that category decides what can be dried in place. In a building with many rooms, the crew often documents each room separately.
The water extraction and structural drying and dehumidification pages explain the sequence. A written scope of work lists the rooms and materials involved, and scope and price are explained before work starts.
Insurance documentation
New York State's Department of Financial Services says to document losses before cleaning up. Photos, video, an item list and receipts all help. Coverage depends on the cause and on the policy, and a typical homeowners or renters policy does not cover flood. Sewage backup may be covered only with a water backup endorsement.
For a university or a landlord, a separate property policy may apply. Students and tenants should ask the housing office or landlord who files, and keep their own photos of belongings. Moisture readings and photos from the crew can be handed to an adjuster, but they do not promise a claim will be approved.
Other Uniondale areas
Across the Turnpike, the Mitchel Field area page covers the large institutional and event buildings on the former airfield. For the shops and offices on Uniondale Avenue and Front Street, see Downtown Uniondale. The service area page lists every ZIP code we cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Hofstra campus in Uniondale?
Part of it is. The campus spans the Uniondale area and the Village of Hempstead, and sources describe the dividing line differently. Give the dispatcher your exact street address and they will tell you what is possible.
Who should call for water damage in a residence hall?
The university or housing office controls access to its buildings, so they decide who calls and which rooms are opened. Residents should report the leak to the housing office and photograph their own belongings.
A ceiling below my apartment is stained. Is it my leak?
Possibly, but the source could also be a shared riser or the roof. A moisture meter and an inspection of the rooms around the stain tell you more than guessing. Tell the dispatcher what is above, below and beside the wet area.
Should I use fans to dry a flooded room myself?
Not for sewage or contaminated water, and not when outlets are wet. Clean-water leaks still leave moisture in walls and subfloors that household fans rarely clear. The crew uses moisture readings to confirm the structure is dry.
Will the crew help with the insurance claim?
The crew documents the loss with photos and moisture readings, which you can hand to your adjuster. Coverage decisions and claim approval belong to the insurer, and we cannot promise an outcome.