What should you do when a tree falls on your house?

September 6, 2026 · 2 min read
Short answer

Get everyone out of the rooms under the impact and stay away from anything touching a wire, assuming every downed line is live. Photograph the damage from a safe distance before anything is moved. Call your insurer, then an emergency tree service. If the tree is on the primary power line, that is TECO's line and TECO's job, not a tree crew's.

1. People first

Leave the rooms beneath the impact, including the floor below if the tree came through the roof. Ceiling structure that has taken a hit can fail later rather than immediately. If the house smells of gas or the tree has pulled at the meter, get everyone out and call the gas utility from outside.

2. Assume every wire is live

This is where people get killed after storms. Do not approach a tree that is in contact with a line, do not move limbs that might be touching one, and keep clear of standing water anywhere near a downed conductor. If the tree is across the primary service line, call TECO. If it has taken down the service drop to your own house, that is generally the homeowner's side, and we will tell you which one you are looking at from your description before anybody drives out.

3. Photograph before anything moves

Several angles, from a safe distance, with the tree still in place against the structure. This is the evidence your adjuster wants and you cannot recreate it once a crew has started cutting. Photograph the inside damage too.

4. Call your insurer, then a tree service

Your carrier decides coverage, so start that clock. Then call us. We triage by hazard rather than by who called first, so tell the person on the phone exactly what has been hit and whether anyone is displaced.

5. Be careful who you hire after a storm

Tampa fills up with out-of-state trucks after every hurricane, charging whatever the moment will bear. Ask for proof of insurance before anyone climbs on your roof, and be wary of anyone demanding full payment up front. Florida law prohibits unconscionable pricing on essential services during a declared state of emergency, and the Attorney General runs a price-gouging hotline.

EmergencyStorm DamageInsurance

Related questions

Can you come out at night?
For genuine emergencies, yes, around the clock. There is an after-hours rate and you will hear it on the phone before we dispatch.
Can you tarp the roof?
We get the tree off safely and can put a temporary cover over the opening. Permanent roof repair is a roofer's job and we will not pretend otherwise.
Do your prices go up after a hurricane?
No. Our storm rates are our normal rates, and that has not changed through any storm we have worked.

Free estimate, fixed price.

Same rate whether it is a Tuesday in April or the week after a hurricane.