Don’t Panic & Follow This Guide
The thought of something falling on and damaging your home is terrifying, but unfortunately, living in an area where weather conditions are harsh and storms are aggressive, isn’t impossible. In the event that a tree has fallen on your property and caused damage, it’s important to follow these crucial steps to ensure the safety of you, your family, and your property.
This important guide will teach you to stay calm and will also go through the different steps to take when dealing with a tree emergency.
Read More: 7 Reasons You Need Emergency Tree Removal Services
Remain calm, and stay safe
Safety is your top priority in the event of an accident such as this one. The most important thing to remember here is to stay calm and not try to remove a fallen tree or the branches yourself. If you aggregate the branches, it could add to the damage the tree has done to your house. Glass could shatter, or worse.
Read More: The Dangers of DIY Tree Removal
Evacuate the house
As you are avoiding moving anything and keeping safe t tree, manoeuvre your way out of your house as swiftly as possible. If you have a go-bag with supplies in the event of an emergency, don’t forget to grab it. Your go-bag should have important documents that prove your identity and your ownership or lease of your house, phone numbers, and the essentials.
Tip: It’s always a good idea to have a go-bag ready in your home that is easily accessible, i.e., not in the attic or basement.
Call 9-1-1
Call for help as soon as you can safely remove yourself from the scene of the accident. The police will be able to keep you calm and act accordingly. They will also ask detailed questions about the incident, and you will be able to report any injuries or fatalities so that they can send the appropriate help.
The police should also be involved in case the tree interferes with any powerlines or utilities before tree falling on house your home or if it is threatening your neighbours or other pedestrians and traffic.
Document everything
Ensure that you document everything that happened and take pictures of all the affected areas of the incident. This will help when you’re filing your claim. Also take notice of any public property that has been damaged in the incident.
Contact your insurance company
Do this as soon as possible, as delaying the call could void your policy. Follow their instructions carefully and keep your documentation as thorough as you can for an easy claim.
Call an emergency tree removal company
Contact an emergency tree removal company that will be able to show up without delay to safely remove the tree in question from the property. You should let the experts handle this and refrain from doing it yourself, as it can further damage the property or put you in further danger.
Read More: What to Look for in a Tree Removal Company
A tree removal company will also be able to identify any potential danger in other trees that could be hazardous and create any future incidents. This includes identifying any trees that have the potential to fall over.
Call an emergency roofing contractor
Now that everything else is on its way towards being sorted, it’s important for you to call your emergency roofing contractor. The roofer will effectively inspect, tarp and repair all damages to your roof to make your house livable until it is completely restored. Choose a service that is dependable and has a great reputation, because you don’t want to miss out on important details when it comes to fixing your tree fell on roof.
Most emergency roofers work 24 hours in the case of a dire situation – make sure you’re choosing one that will be there for you in the event of a serious incident such as this scenario.
Call an emergency plumber
In addition to a 24-hour emergency roofer, you will want to contact a plumber who has a similar reputation. Pipes can burst in the event of a dangerous event, leading to leaks and other costly damage. Your plumber should also check for any collateral damage caused by large branches crashing into the system.
Shut off the power
If your power source is situated in an unaffected area of your property, make sure to access it as soon as possible and turn off the power. Power left on at the scene of the accident can aggravate any damage and cause further trauma to your house by igniting a fire, in the worst-case scenario.
While they’re big and beautiful, trees can also be tricky. Be sure to take any precautionary measures by scheduling a thorough inspection with a tree removal company to make sure none of your surrounding trees are at risk, and if they are, take the necessary steps to eliminate them before anything dire or inconvenient can happen. Contact us at Green Thumb today.
We take pride in offering our professional Tree Care services in Ottawa. Feel free to reach out to Green Thumb Tree Specialist for any of the following Tree Services: