After major storms, many tree removal companies receive calls to address damage due to trees falling on houses. As a homeowner, you should prepare for this issue before it happens to your family. Below are a few steps to follow should your home incur storm damage.

4 Steps to Take if a Tree Falls on the House

1. Evacuate

If a branch or trunk penetrates your house, gather your family, including pets, and go to a safe location off the property. Leave immediately because the tree may have disrupted a power line, potentially leaving your home and loved ones vulnerable to live electricity. Decide on a local place to go like a neighbor’s or loved one’s house so that you can stay warm and dry. There may also be water leaking in through the hole, heightening the risk of electrocution.

2. Call Utility Services

Contact the gas and electricity utility companies to shut off their connections right away. This will mitigate the risk of a gas leak or dangerous live wires and make the house safer for disaster cleanup.

3. Contact the Insurance Company

Next, call your home insurance company to tell them what happened. They will likely require photos of the storm damage for their records before you get tree removal. They might also recommend contacting specific arborists in the area to remove the branches before fixing the house.

4. Schedule Emergency Tree Removal

To begin the cleanup process, tree removal is necessary so contractors can fix the roof or walls. An arborist will arrive and take away the parts that are damaging the home. Then, they’ll assess the condition of the tree and decide whether they can chop off the affected area or if they need to perform total tree removal. You may also want them to trim other trees to ensure they are not within 10 feet of the home to reduce the risk of this issue.

After a storm, contact Above All Tree Care in Chisago County, MN, to set up tree removal. Their expert arborists have been in business since 2001, offering trimming, disease prevention, professional trenching, and more. Call the Center City location at (651) 257-2136 or visit the website for information on their preventative tree trimming services.