Tree Fell on Your Pool or Deck? What to Do and What to Avoid

A tree on a pool or deck brings electrical, water, and collapse hazards most people do not expect. Here is how to stay safe and get it removed properly.

A tree that lands on a pool or deck may not seem as urgent as one through the roof. Nobody's bedroom is damaged, and the house looks fine. But pools and decks bring hazards of their own: electricity near water, pool chemicals, and structures that can collapse under your feet. Here is how certified arborists approach it.

Stay Out of the Water and Off the Deck

The first rule is simple: do not get into the pool, and do not walk onto a deck that a tree has hit.

Electrical hazards around pools

Pools have pumps, filters, heaters, lights, and often outdoor outlets, all close to water. A falling tree can crush conduit, rip wiring out of a junction box, crack an underwater light, or damage the equipment pad. Pools are also bonded, meaning metal parts are connected together to keep voltage even and reduce shock risk. A tree that tears bonding wires or damages equipment can leave the water or nearby metal energized.

• Turn off pool equipment at the breaker only if you can reach the panel without going near the damage

• Do not touch the water, ladders, rails, or metal fencing until an electrician has checked the system

• If the tree also brought down a service line, stay at least 35 feet back and call 911 and your utility

The Electrical Safety Foundation International has helpful guidance on pool and outdoor electrical safety, including why electricity and water are such a dangerous combination.

Water and chemical hazards

A punctured above-ground pool can release thousands of gallons quickly, washing out soil and flooding a basement or a neighbor's yard. Treated water and stored chlorine or other chemicals can also spill if the equipment area or shed is hit. Keep children and pets away, and do not mix spilled chemicals or try to sweep them into a drain.

Deck collapse risk

A deck can look fine and still be badly damaged. The impact can crack joists, pull the ledger board away from the house, or shift posts on their footings. Adding a person's weight to a deck already carrying a tree can bring it down.

• Stay off the deck and off any stairs attached to it

• Keep people out from underneath elevated decks

• Watch for gaps between the deck and the house wall, which may mean the ledger has pulled loose