Last fall, Long Island attorney Tracey Discepolo opened a solo practice focused on the legal needs of special-needs children after a 12-year stint as multinational counsel for various insurance companies. Then Hurricane Sandy hit.

With floodwaters filling the basement and reaching about 18 inches of the first floor in her Massapequa home, Discepolo said she went into "crisis mode"—documenting her damaged property in an Excel spreadsheet for future insurance adjustors.