A Tree Hit My House—What to Do in the First 24 Hours (Photos, Safety, and Claims)

If you’ve ever heard that awful crack during a storm and felt your stomach drop, you’re not alone. One minute you’re refreshing the radar; the next, there’s a limb through the gutter or an entire oak leaning across the roof. The first 24 hours after impact are the most important—not only for safety, but also for insurance and preventing small problems from turning into larger repairs.

This is your calm, step-by-step playbook. No panic. No guesswork. Just what to do, in what order, and who to call so you protect your home, your family, and your claim.

Step 1: Make Safety the Only Priority (Right Now)

Before you touch a branch, walk the property slowly and look up, down, and around.

Check for immediate hazards:

• Downed or sagging power lines or branches touching lines (including the service drop to your home). Assume lines are live. Keep everyone away and call 911 and your utility immediately.

• Active roof leaks or ceiling sags. If the ceiling is bulging, avoid that room—water weight can bring it down.

• Hangers—broken branches still lodged in the canopy. They often fall hours after the wind stops.

• Gas smell or hissing sounds near meters. Leave the home and call the gas utility from outside.

What not to do:

No ladders. No chainsaw work from the ground on tensioned wood. No cutting near wires. Storm-loaded limbs behave like sprung traps: one wrong cut can fling wood toward you or shift thousands of pounds in a blink.

When in doubt, back away, secure the area, and call professionals.

👉 24/7 help: Emergency Tree Service – All Your Way Tree Service

Step 2: Freeze the Scene With Photos (Before Anything Moves)

Your phone is your best tool for claims. Think like an adjuster who wasn’t there.

Take:

• Wide shots from multiple angles showing the tree, the home, and any vehicles/fences.

• Close-ups of impact points: shingles, gutters, soffits, broken windows, dents, fence breaks.

• Interior shots of water entry or cracks in drywall/ceilings.

• Context photos of the yard so it’s clear the damage resulted from this event.

Tip: Don’t move debris until you’ve documented the scene—unless you must for safety (e.g., to stop water intrusion). If you need to shift something, grab a quick video first.

Step 3: Decide What’s an “Emergency” vs. What Can Wait

It helps to triage. Here’s a quick filter based on risk:

Emergency (call now):

• Tree on the roof or through the roofline

• Branches entangled with power lines or the service drop

• A new lean with visible root plate lift or soil heaving

• Hangers over doors, driveways, or play areas

• Structural damage: cracked rafters, crushed soffits, shattered skylights

Urgent but not 911-level:

• Fences crushed, sheds damaged, large limbs resting on vehicles

• Gutters torn off, minor soffit punctures, attic vent damage

Can wait 24–72 hours:

• Yard debris, small limbs on the grass, cosmetic landscaping damage

This sorting helps you get the right crew on-site fast and prevents blowing your budget or energy on low-priority tasks.

Step 4: Call the Right Pros (In the Right Order)

1) Utility and emergency responders for live hazards.

2) Licensed, insured tree service for safe removal and scene stabilization.

3) Roofer or restoration company for tarping and water mitigation.

4) Your insurance carrier to open a claim and get guidance on documentation.

When you call us, we coordinate to remove the tree safely, protect the opening (tarp/temporary drying partners), and document everything you’ll need for your insurer.

👉 Start here: Emergency Tree Service – All Your Way Tree Service

Local note: After big blows in Hillsborough County, scammers flood neighborhoods. Ask for proof of insurance, credentials, and a written work description—before anyone puts a saw in wood.

Step 5: Protect the Home From Further Damage

Insurers expect “reasonable steps” to prevent more damage after the event.

Good moves:

• Tarp or shrink-wrap damaged roof sections once the tree is safely off.

• Shut off electrical in rooms with ceiling leaks until checked.

• Catch water with buckets or plastic sheeting; move valuables/furniture.

• Ventilate to discourage mold (fans, open windows if dry outside).

Save receipts for tarps, shop vac rentals, and drying—these often count toward covered expenses.

Step 6: Open the Claim and Share What Matters

When you call your insurer, have this ready:

• Policy number and contact info

• Date/time of the event (attach a radar screenshot if you have it)

• Short summary: “Oak limb punctured roof over master bedroom; ceiling leak present.”

• Your photo set (share via link or email)

• Tree service invoice/work order (removal, crane if used, debris handling, tarping)

• Any emergency restoration invoice (tarp/dry-out)

Ask your adjuster:

• Do they want multiple estimates, or will a detailed invoice suffice?

• How should debris be staged (curb vs. on-site) for their documentation?

• Do they cover tree removal off structures vs. debris haul-off (policies differ)?

Keep a simple log: calls made, who you spoke to, and next steps. It’ll make your life easier if the claim spans a few weeks.

Step 7: Understand the Tree Work Itself (So You’re in Control)

Storm removals aren’t just “cut it and go.” A professional crew will:

• Rig or crane sections to avoid further roof damage

• Control the landing zones with ropes, blocks, and mats for lawns/driveways

• Section the trunk safely (storm-loaded fiber can snap unexpectedly)

• Clear the roof of loose debris and coordinate tarping

• Provide photos before/after plus a work description for insurance

If a tree is partially uprooted and leaning, we’ll evaluate whether it can be saved with reduction and support—or if removal is the safe call. We’ll be candid either way.

👉 Need a second opinion? Certified Arborist Services

Step 8: Don’t Create New Problems While Fixing Old Ones

Common mistakes we see (and better choices):

• Mistake: Cutting from a ladder or roof with a homeowner chainsaw.

• Better: Ground the area and wait for rigging or a crane. Hospital trips and extra roof holes aren’t worth it.

• Mistake: Topping surviving trees “so they don’t catch wind.”

• Better: Use reduction cuts to shorten specific limbs back to strong laterals. Topping creates weak, fast regrowth that fails next storm.

• Mistake: “Hurricane cutting” palms into a feather duster.

• Better: Remove only dead/broken fronds and fruit stalks. Over-thinning weakens palms.

• Mistake: Piling mulch volcanoes against trunks to “protect roots.”

• Better: A flat 2–4 inch mulch ring—off the trunk—to conserve moisture and shield soil.

Step 9: Debris Management 101

Ask your adjuster how they want debris handled. Some quick tips:

• Separate green debris (limbs, logs) from construction debris (shingles, gutters).

• Stage curbside if your municipality schedules post-storm pickup; otherwise, we can haul.

• Keep access clear for adjusters, roofers, and follow-up work.

If you plan to mill salvaged wood (lots of folks ask), tell the crew before cutting—we’ll section accordingly where feasible.

Step 10: Plan the Follow-Up So You’re Stronger Next Time

Once the roof is dry and the claim is moving, use the moment to prevent repeat scenarios:

• Structural pruning on remaining trees to improve wind flow

• Roofline clearance (aim for open sky and ~6–10 feet separation where practical)

• Cabling/bracing for valuable trees with weak unions

• Root-zone care: mulch ring, soil decompaction where equipment compacted the yard

• Annual check before storm season (a fast walkthrough often catches small issues)

👉 Book preventative care: Tree Trimming – Valrico & Seffner

“Can my tree be saved?” A quick decision guide

Often save-able:

• Less than ~25% canopy breakage with intact trunk

• Minor roof rub plus a few broken secondaries

• Palms with intact spear leaf and undamaged crown

Usually remove:

• Large trunk cracks, big cavities, or visible internal decay

• New lean with root plate heave

• Palms with a missing spear or collapsed crown

We’ll help you weigh safety, cost of ongoing mitigation, and property goals—no pressure, just facts.

What about neighbors, fences, and property lines?

After storms, it’s common for limbs to land “across the line.”

• Documentation first (photos from each side).

• Polite contact next—most neighbors want a quick, fair resolution.

• If a tree from your yard caused damage on their side (or vice versa), insurers usually sort it by property damaged, not tree origin. Keep communication friendly and defer specifics to adjusters.

Free, Florida-specific guidance you can trust

For science-based tips on pruning, planting, and storm preparation, this University of Florida IFAS resource is excellent—and free:

UF/IFAS – Planting & Care for Trees and Shrubs

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/planting/planting-trees-and-shrubs.html

(We recommend it often because it aligns with what keeps Florida trees healthy and homes safer.)

How All Your Way Tree Service handles the first 24 hours

When you call us after impact, here’s our standard flow:

1. Rapid on-site triage for live hazards, hangers, and structural concerns

2. Safe removal plan—rigging or crane as needed, with property protection

3. Roof protection—coordinate tarping/dry-out with trusted partners

4. Full documentation—before/after photos and a clear work description for your claim

5. Next-step recommendations—what to prune, what to monitor, what to remove, and a timeline

Serving Seffner, Valrico, Plant City, Dover, Thonotosassa, Bloomingdale, Riverview, Tampa, and nearby communities—day or night.

👉 24/7 help: Emergency Tree Service

👉 After the emergency: Certified Arborist Services

👉 Prevent the next one: Tree Trimming in Valrico

Final thought

The minutes after a storm are stressful. But with a clear plan—stay safe, document, call the right help, protect the opening—you can steady the situation fast and protect your claim. Then we turn the page to prevention, so the next storm finds your trees stronger and your home better defended.