First: get away from it
Storm-damaged trees are not the same animal as standing ones. Limbs hang under load, split trunks hold tension, and root plates that have lifted can drop back without warning. Before anything else — get people and cars out from under it, and keep well clear of any line the tree is leaning on.
- Power lines: assume every line is live and call the utility first. That part is theirs, not ours.
- Take photos from a safe distance before anything moves — your adjuster will ask, and cutting destroys the evidence.
- Do not climb on it to see how bad it is, and keep ladders away from loaded limbs.
What we come out for
- Limbs and whole trees on roofs, garages, sheds, fences and vehicles
- Trunks blocking a driveway, a gate or a road into a property
- Split leaders and hangers still up in the canopy waiting to fall
- Trees that have started to lean since the storm, or soil lifting at the base
- Clean-up afterwards — brush, rounds and debris off the property
How a storm call actually goes
You call. You describe what fell, what it is resting on and whether anybody can still park, get out of the drive or use the room underneath. We tell you honestly where you sit in the queue that day — anything on a house, a car or a blocked exit goes up the list, and a leaning tree in the back forty does not.
On site the loaded pieces come off first, in the order that keeps the rest of the tree stable. Then the debris goes, and we tell you whether what is left is worth saving or has to come out.
After the clean-up
A tree that lost a major limb often needs the wound tidied so it can seal — and if it is an oak, that cut gets painted immediately, storm or no storm. If the trunk is split or the roots have lifted, the honest answer is usually removal, and we will say so.
After the weather
Before the season
Most storm damage was avoidable.
The limbs that come down are usually the dead ones and the heavy over-extended ones — both visible from the ground months earlier. A prune before spring costs a fraction of a night-time emergency call.
- Deadwood outThe first thing to fall, every time.
- End weight reducedLong limbs shortened back to a live lateral.
- Canopy thinnedWind moves through instead of pushing.
Questions
Storm calls, answered.
What should I do before you get there?
Get everyone away from the tree and out from under any hanging limb. Do not touch anything near a power line. Then take photos from a safe distance — your insurer will want them, and once we start cutting the evidence is gone.
There is a limb on a power line. Who do I call?
The utility, first and immediately. Anything in contact with primary lines is their work, not ours. Once the line is dealt with we can take care of the tree.
How fast can you be here?
Call and you get a straight answer the same day rather than a maybe. Anything sitting on a house, a car or a blocked driveway moves up the list ahead of routine work.
Do you handle insurance jobs?
We do the tree work and give you a written quote and photos you can hand to your adjuster. The claim itself is between you and your insurer.
Comal · Guadalupe · Hays
Call it in now.
Tell us the address and what is under the tree. We will tell you what happens next.