Get everyone out of the affected rooms, call 911 if anyone’s hurt or if lines or gas are involved, and don’t touch the tree until the utility has said the lines are safe. Cleanup comes much later.
First hour:
- People. Leave if the ceiling sags, the walls crack, or you hear creaking. A tree can keep shifting.
- Power lines. Treat the tree, fence, and wet ground as live if any line is near. Stay back and call 911 and your utility.
- Gas. If you smell gas, leave, and call from a safe distance.
- Photos. From a safe spot, get the tree, the roof, the rooms, the base of the tree, and any rot.
- Insurer. Call to start a claim, and ask about emergency work.
Next:
- Temporary protection. Tarping and boarding may be allowed as emergency mitigation. Save your receipts. Don’t climb on the roof yourself.
- Removal. A tree on a roof may need rigging or a crane, so it’s a job for an insured crew. Angi says emergency work can reach up to $5,000 after storms, depending on the circumstances. Get the price in writing if you can.
- Contracts. After storms, door-to-door crews may appear. Ask for proof of insurance, and read any assignment of benefits before signing.
Permits. There isn’t a statewide rule that lets you skip a permit. Your city decides. In the City of Atlanta, the Arborist Division’s FAQ says a tree that has already fallen “does not require a permit,” but a standing hazardous tree goes through the division. If you need to act on a standing tree in an emergency, call your city’s arborist or planning office, at 404-330-6874 in Atlanta, and document the danger with photos and an arborist’s note. Ask what follow-up paperwork they need.
If the tree came from a neighbor’s yard, your own insurer is still the first call.