After the storm passes: what to do before cleanup starts
- 1
Wait until conditions are truly calm — wind gusts and saturated ground keep dropping limbs and toppling weakened trees for hours after a storm.
- 2
Walk the property from a distance and look up: hangers (broken limbs caught in the canopy) can fall at any time, so don't stand or park under damaged trees.
- 3
Treat every downed or sagging wire as live and stay at least 50 feet back — report it to your utility before anyone goes near that area.
- 4
Photograph the full scene before you move anything — wide shots of each downed tree and debris pile document the storm's impact for your claim.
- 5
Don't drag brush over or near downed lines, and keep children and pets out of debris fields where nails, glass, and broken branches hide.
- 6
Call 1 Tree Emergency at (866) 320-7003 — we answer 24/7 and dispatch a cleanup crew with chippers, grapple loaders, and haul-away capacity.
Cleanup is a different job than pulling one tree off a roof.
Storm damage cleanup isn't a single emergency removal — it's a full-property recovery. A bad storm can leave a dozen trees down, canopies shredded, brush piled across the yard, and driveways and access roads blocked. The work is about volume: cutting downed wood into movable pieces, feeding brush through a chipper, and hauling the debris off so nothing is left behind.
Our crews come equipped for scale. We bring chippers, grapple trucks, and loaders alongside saws and rigging, so we can process a whole storm's worth of wreckage in one coordinated push rather than one tree at a time. We prioritize access first — clearing driveways, walkways, and blocked roads — then work through the rest of the property methodically.
We also handle neighborhood-scale events. When a storm takes down trees across multiple properties or an entire street, we stage crews to work through the area efficiently and document each site so every owner has what they need for their own claim.
Downed trees bucked, brush chipped, driveway cleared, debris hauled off-site
We respond in minutes, not hours
Our network of certified arborists is on standby 24/7 to handle any tree emergency. From fallen trees to dangerous limbs, we provide rapid response to protect your property.
Why Choose Us
- Certified Experts
All our arborists are certified and fully insured
- Rapid Response
Average response time under 30 minutes
- Insurance Specialists
We handle all insurance paperwork for you
How our storm cleanup works
Clear steps. Fast action. Zero guesswork.
How We Handle Your Tree Emergency
Our streamlined process ensures quick response and efficient resolution of your tree emergency
Step :You Call, We Answer
Reach us at (866) 320-7003 any hour. A live dispatcher takes your address, the scope of the damage, and gets a cleanup crew scheduled — often same day.
Step :Crew & Equipment Roll Out
We arrive with chippers, grapple loaders, and haul trucks sized to the debris volume — not just a saw and a pickup — so the whole job moves at once.
Step :Site Walk & Priorities
An arborist walks the property, flags hangers and unstable trees, and sequences the work so we clear access and hazards before anything else.
Step :Clear Access First
We open blocked driveways, walkways, and roads first so you can get in and out and emergency vehicles have a path.
Step :Cut & Process
Downed trunks are bucked into sections and brush is fed through the chipper — reducing a debris field to manageable material fast.
Step :Haul Away
Chips, logs, and debris are loaded and hauled off-site. We rake and blow the ground so the yard is left clean, not just cleared.
Step :Documentation Packet
Before-and-after photos and an itemized scope of the storm damage go into a packet for your insurance claim.
What we bring to a storm cleanup
High-Volume Debris Processing
Chippers and grapple loaders let us reduce and remove a whole storm's worth of downed wood and brush in a single coordinated visit.
Full Haul-Away
We don't leave piles at the curb. Logs, chips, and debris are loaded and hauled off-site, so cleanup means the property is actually clean.
Access Clearing
Blocked driveways, walkways, and private roads get cleared first so you can use your property and emergency access is restored.
Multi-Property Coordination
For neighborhood-wide storm events we stage crews to work an area efficiently and document each property separately.
Our removals are led by ISA Certified Arborists. Around downed or damaged power lines, always follow your electric utility and the Electrical Safety Foundation — never approach a line yourself.
Insurance and storm cleanup costs
Homeowners policies often cover debris removal when a storm damages an insured structure, and many include a separate debris-removal allowance even for trees that fall without hitting a building — though limits and terms vary widely, so the details of your policy matter. Documentation is what turns a messy yard into a payable claim.
We photograph the property before we touch anything and provide an itemized scope of the cleanup, so you can show your adjuster exactly what came down and what it took to clear it. For large events we coordinate directly with your carrier to keep the claim moving.
Learn more about our insurance claim support for tree damage — we document the scene and coordinate directly with your carrier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is storm cleanup different from emergency tree removal?
Emergency removal is about one urgent hazard — a tree on your roof or a line. Storm cleanup is about the whole aftermath: multiple downed trees, brush fields, and blocked access spread across the property. It's a higher-volume job that needs chippers, loaders, and haul trucks, and we sequence it to clear hazards and access first, then work through the rest.
Do you haul the debris away or just cut it up?
We haul it away. Cutting a tree into pieces and leaving them in your yard isn't cleanup. Our crews chip the brush, buck the logs, load everything, and remove it off-site — then rake and blow the ground so the property is left clean.
Can you clear a blocked driveway right away?
Yes — access is our first priority. If a downed tree is blocking your driveway or a private road, we clear that path first so you can get in and out and emergency vehicles can reach the property, then move on to the rest of the cleanup.
Do you handle cleanup for a whole neighborhood after a big storm?
We do. After widespread storms we stage crews to work through an affected area efficiently rather than treating each call in isolation. Every property gets its own site walk and its own documentation, so each owner has what they need for their claim.
How soon should I start cleanup after a storm?
Start once conditions are genuinely safe — winds have died down, and any downed lines have been reported and cleared. From there, sooner is better: standing debris hides hazards, damaged trees keep dropping limbs, and prompt cleanup helps limit further damage, which is what insurers expect. Call us at (866) 320-7003 and we'll schedule a crew, often same day.
Related Tree Emergencies We Handle
Facing a different situation? We respond to every kind of tree emergency, 24/7:
What Happens Next
From the first call to a closed insurance claim, here's how we help:
From Our Blog
Practical guides from our certified arborists:
Get Emergency Help Now
We're available 24/7. Call (866) 320-7003 or request service below.
Get in Touch
Our team is available 24/7 to respond to your emergency or answer any questions
Contact Information
Location
254 Prospect Ave, Hartford, CT, 06106
Serving clients nationwide