Storm damage tree removal in Bremen, IN
When a storm puts a tree on the roof, the garage or the car, you need someone who picks up the phone. Our normal hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 8 pm, and storm emergencies can call outside them.
What to do before we get there
Get everyone out of the rooms under the tree and keep kids and pets away from that side of the house. A tree resting on a roof can shift as the wood settles or the wind picks back up, and the part you can't see from inside is usually the part carrying the weight.
Look for wires before you walk into the yard. If a line is down, touching the tree, or you can't tell, stay well clear and call the utility first. Treat every downed wire as live until they say otherwise.
If water is coming in, a tarp or a bucket inside buys time, but don't climb onto the roof or start cutting a loaded limb yourself. Storm wood is often bent and loaded, and it can spring back hard the moment it's cut. Call us at (574) 248-2614 and tell us what's on what.
Trees on roofs, cars and lines
A tree lying on a house is a different job from one lying in the yard. The weight has to come off in an order that doesn't drop the next piece through the roof. We take the top and the limbs off first, working from the roof or the bucket, then lower the heavy part of the trunk once nothing is resting on it.
Cars and fences get the same care: cut the load off in sections rather than dragging the tree clear. Trees down across a drive or a lane get opened up first so you can get in and out, and the rest of the cleanup follows.
A tree that's already on the ground and not touching anything is less urgent but often bigger work. That job has its own guide on fallen tree removal, and the broken limbs and hangers left over after a blow are covered under storm cleanup.
Photos for your insurance claim
Before anything gets moved, take pictures: the whole tree from a distance, where it's touching the house or car, the inside of any room with damage, and the stump or break point. Once the tree is cut up, that evidence is gone.
Then call your insurance company. Policies differ, and whether tree removal is covered often depends on whether the tree hit a building. Your agent can tell you what they need from you. What we can do is get the tree off quickly so the damage doesn't get worse while you wait on a roofer.
After the storm passes
Walk the yard in daylight and look up. Hanging broken limbs, called hangers, can drop days later with no wind at all. If you see one over a walkway or a play area, keep people out from under it until it's down.
Storm calls around the area
Summer thunderstorms and straight-line winds hit this part of northern Indiana every year. We take storm calls across Marshall, St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.
Storm damage questions
Yes, for storm emergencies like a tree on the house or blocking the only way out. For a tree down in the yard that isn't touching anything, calling during our normal hours, Monday to Saturday 7 am to 8 pm, is fine.
Not until the utility has made it safe. Call them first. Once the line is dead or cleared, we can take the tree off and clean up.
Either of you can. Start with your own insurance company, since it usually handles damage on your property from a storm-toppled tree, then call us to get it cleared.
Not if it's on anything or tangled with other trees. Storm wood is twisted and loaded, and it moves in ways you don't expect when the first cut releases it. Small limbs lying loose on the lawn are fine to pick up.