The trees in your yard provide shade and beauty. But when a major storm blows through your area, these once-beautiful trees can immediately become major risks to your family’s safety and your home’s structure. If storm damage resulted in a tree crashing down on your roof, you need to know how to handle the situation to stay safe and prevent any more damage.
- Evacuate your home—A home with any type of storm damage is not a safe place to be. When a tree crashes down onto your roof, gather your family members and exit your house as quickly as you can.
- Call 911—Once everyone in your household has safely evacuated, call 911 and inform your local authorities that a large tree fell on your house. A public utility representative or a member of the fire department may come to your home and assess the safety of your property.
- Prevent more damage—A fallen tree can result in broken windows and holes in your roof or siding. The impact can also cause damaged gas lines. As a precaution, shut off your gas at the meter until you are sure there aren’t any damaged utility lines.
- Take pictures—When you can safely go back in your house, take pictures of the damage, both indoors and outdoors. Document damaged siding, structural damage, broken windows, and any other damage to the structure or contents of your home.
- Start the claims process—Give your insurance company a call and let them know that a tree fell on your home and damaged it. They’ll then give you guidance about what to do next.
Once you complete all these steps, you’ll be in a good place to take care of the actual damage. Emergency Restoration Xperts (ERX) is always on call to help you with storm damage from a fallen tree, and we can do everything from removing the hazardous tree from your roof to repairing your siding, windows, roof, and more. Insurance companies prefer us, and we’re always just a phone call away to help you with the effects of a major storm.
