When a tree comes down in a storm, what you do in the first hour matters more than people realise. Here's the order that keeps you safe and keeps your insurer happy.
First, powerlines. If the tree is anywhere near wires, or wires are down, stay right away and call Energex on 13 19 62. No branch is worth going near a live line for, and lines tangled in a fallen canopy are live until proven otherwise.
Second, photos before touching anything. Wide shots and close-ups, the tree, the damage, the surrounds. Insurers ask for them and it takes two minutes.
Third, resist the chainsaw urge. Storm-damaged trees are the most dangerous work in this industry: trunks under tension, limbs hung up in canopies, root plates that shift. A tree resting on a roof is loaded in ways you can't see from the ground.
Fourth, call for a make-safe. That's the emergency visit that removes the immediate danger, gets the tree off the structure and tarps what needs tarping. Full clean-up and stump work can follow in daylight at normal pace and normal prices.
We run emergency storm response across the Redlands and bayside. Save our number before the season starts: 0461 429 791.
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