A tree coming down in a storm is loud, sudden, and stressful. What you do in the first hour matters more than how fast the tree gets cut up. Here's a checklist to work through, in order.
1. Make sure everyone is safe
If a tree hit the house, get everyone out of the damaged rooms and away from anything sagging. Don't go into a damaged part of the house to check on it. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 and your gas company from outside.
If anyone is hurt, call 911 before anything else.
2. Stay away from power lines
Assume every downed or sagging line is live. Power can travel through the tree, a wet fence, standing water, and the ground around a downed line. Stay well back, keep kids and pets inside, and don't try to move branches off a line, even with something that seems safe to hold.
Call your electric utility, or 911 if the line is sparking or near people. Tree work can't safely start near a line until the utility has made it safe.
3. Don't cut it yourself
This is the step people skip, and it's where injuries happen. A fallen tree is full of stored energy. Limbs pinned underneath are bent like springs and can snap back when cut. Trunks can roll. A tree resting on a roof may be holding up part of the structure it landed on, and cutting the wrong piece can drop it further into the house.
Chainsaw injuries go up after big storms for exactly this reason. If the tree is on a building, hung up in another tree, or larger than you'd normally handle, leave it for a crew with the right equipment.
4. Document everything
Before anything is moved, take photos and video from several angles:
- The tree, including the root plate or the broken point.
- Everything it hit: roof, gutters, siding, windows, fences, vehicles.
- Any damage inside the house.
- Wide shots showing where the tree was and where it landed.
Your insurance company will want these, and they're hard to recreate once cleanup starts.
5. Call your insurance company
Homeowners policies commonly cover damage to a covered structure and removing a tree that fell on it, sometimes with a limit per tree. Trees that fall in the yard without hitting anything are often treated differently. Coverage varies, so call your agent and ask.
Most policies expect you to prevent further damage, which can mean getting a tree off the roof before the adjuster arrives. Keep receipts and ask your tree service for an itemized invoice.
6. Call a tree service
When you call, have this ready:
- Your address and the best number to reach you.
- What the tree is on: the house, a car, a fence, the driveway.
- Whether any lines are down or touching the tree.
- How a truck can get close, including gates and soft ground.
- Photos, if you can send them.
Ask for an honest time frame. After a widespread storm, every tree company is busy at once. A company that tells you the truth about when they can get there is more useful than one that promises and doesn't show. Trees on occupied homes and blocked driveways should get priority.
7. Prevent more damage
Once the tree is off the roof, get a roofer or contractor to tarp or dry in the damaged area. Move vehicles out from under any remaining hangers. Keep people away from cracked trees that are still standing.
After the cleanup, look at the other trees
Storms expose weak trees. In the days after, walk your property and look for:
- Broken limbs still hanging in the canopy.
- Cracks in trunks or at forks that weren't there before.
- Trees that are leaning more than they used to.
- Soil that's heaved or cracked near the base of a tree.
Those are the trees most likely to come down in the next storm, and it's much easier to deal with them on a calm day.
If a tree is down right now, see emergency tree service or call us directly. For debris and damaged trees that aren't urgent, see storm damage cleanup.
