Nebraska doesn't ease into severe weather. The April-through-July storm season can drop 70mph winds, golf-ball hail, and the occasional derecho. Here's what to do — in order — when a storm leaves damage on your property.
In the first hour: safety only
Do not approach:
- Any tree or limb in contact with a power line
- Any tree leaning over your house or vehicle
- Any large hanging limb (widow-maker) in a canopy
- Any tree with a fresh visible crack
If a tree is on the house or blocking a driveway and the power lines are clear, you can walk around it but don't touch it. Limbs in tension can release violently when disturbed. The job is to get people and pets to safe ground and call the professionals.
If a tree is on a power line, the line is energized until OPPD confirms otherwise. Treat the entire tree as live electrical equipment.
In the first few hours: document everything
Before any cleanup, take photos. Lots of them. Specifically:
- Wide shots of the property showing the damage in context
- Close-ups of every damaged tree
- Photos of any structural damage (roof, siding, fence, vehicle)
- Photos of the point of failure on the tree (the broken collar, the cracked trunk)
Date-stamped is better. Multiple angles is better. Your insurance adjuster will appreciate the documentation and you will appreciate not having to argue about scope later.
Call your insurance agent before anyone else
If a tree damaged a covered structure, call your insurance agent first. They will:
- Open a claim and give you a claim number
- Sometimes recommend or coordinate with their preferred contractors
- Tell you what your coverage limit is for tree removal (varies wildly by policy)
Important: most policies cover the cost of removal of the tree from the damaged structure but not the cost of removing the tree from your yard. If a tree falls on your fence, removal is covered. If the same tree falls in the open yard with no structural impact, it's often not.
Call a licensed tree service
Once you have a claim number, call us (or another reputable tree service). Things to look for:
- Confirms they're licensed and insured (ask for certificate of insurance)
- Provides a flat written quote, not a "we'll see when we get there"
- Will document everything for your insurance claim
- Has been around long enough to have referenceable work
Be very cautious of door-knockers after major storms. Storm chasing is a real problem — out-of-state crews show up in vans, do bad work, take cash, and disappear. They will be at your door within 12 hours of any major event. Call a local company instead.
What you can do yourself
If the damage is small and there's no structural threat, you can safely:
- Pick up small branches and debris from the yard
- Rake leaves and twigs
- Photograph everything before you move it
Do not:
- Operate a chainsaw on storm-damaged wood unless you're trained. Tension and compression in fallen limbs is unpredictable and chainsaw kickback under load is what kills DIY homeowners every year.
- Climb anything
- Use a ladder against a damaged tree
- Pull on hanging limbs
What to do with trees that survived
Trees that don't look damaged but went through a major event are often the next problem. Storm-loaded trees develop cracks, root failures, and structural compromises that don't show until a smaller storm finishes them off six months later. After every major event, schedule a post-storm assessment of the surviving canopy. Cheap insurance.
We do free post-storm assessments for clients we worked with on the active cleanup. If you've never been a customer, it's $125 for a full property walk-through with written notes.