Fallen trees and insurance
What a North Carolina homeowners policy usually pays for, and what to do first.
Read the insurance guideIf a tree has fallen on your house, car or driveway, first get people away from it and stay clear of any wires. If a power line is down or touching the tree, call 911 or your electric provider before anything else. Once it is safe, call (910) 543-1576 and we will pass your emergency tree removal request to a local crew.
Safety first
- Assume every downed wire is live. Stay well back, keep children and pets inside, and do not touch a tree, fence or puddle that a line is resting on.
- Call 911 if anyone is hurt or trapped, if you smell gas, or if a line is sparking or on fire.
- Report downed lines to your utility. Duke Energy Progress serves parts of New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties (Duke outages and downed lines). Brunswick Electric (BEMC outage reporting, 800-682-5309) and Four County EMC (report an outage) serve other parts, and Jones-Onslow EMC also serves part of Pender. The NC electric cooperatives outage list has their numbers. Check your bill if you are not sure.
- Do not go into rooms under a tree that has broken through the roof. Ceilings can give way as the tree shifts.
- Skip the chainsaw on trees that are under tension, hung up in other trees, or lying on a structure. Bent trunks can spring with enough force to kill.
Hurricane and tropical storm damage
Hurricane season runs June through November, and the Cape Fear coast gets everything from fast-moving storms to slow rain events that saturate the ground for days. Sandy soil and shallow roots mean whole trees can tip over with the root plate attached, especially water oaks and big pines on wet lots. After a storm, typical calls are:
- A pine or oak through the roof or onto a porch.
- Hung-up limbs ("widowmakers") dangling over a driveway or path.
- Trees down across a fence line between neighbors.
- Leaning trees with lifted soil that have not fallen yet.
Leaning trees with a cracked or lifting root plate are a real risk in the next storm or even the next gust. Treat them as urgent.
Before the next one arrives, work through our guide on preparing trees for hurricane season. For cleared lots and storm-thrown stumps on acreage, see land and lot clearing.
Tree on the house
- Get everyone out of the affected rooms and, if the structure looks unstable, out of the house.
- Photograph the tree, roof and inside damage from several angles before anything is moved.
- Call your insurer to open a claim and ask what they need from you.
- Call for a crew to remove the tree and, if needed, a roofer or tarp service to dry the house in.
Removing a tree from a roof is skilled work. The crew may use rigging, a bucket truck or a crane to lift the weight off without dropping it through the structure. We do not own heavy equipment; the crew who takes the job will say what they need.
Blocked driveway or road
Check before you cut
A tree across a private driveway is your responsibility to clear. A tree across a public street should be reported to the city, town or NCDOT, depending on who maintains the road. In Leland, for example, the town asks residents to use Leland 311 for town tree issues. A driveway blocked by a fallen tree can count toward tree removal coverage under some homeowners policies; see the insurance guide below.
Document everything for insurance
Insurers want proof of what happened and what it cost. Take wide photos and close-ups, note the date and time, keep every invoice, and get a written description of the work from the crew. The NC Department of Insurance explains that a typical homeowners policy pays reasonable tree removal costs up to a set limit when a fallen tree has damaged a covered structure or blocked the driveway. Read our guide to fallen trees and homeowners insurance in NC before you sign anything.
After the emergency
Once the urgent work is done, you may want the stump ground (stump removal in Wilmington), or other trees checked so they do not become next season's problem (tree health check). For planned removals, see our tree cutting service in Wilmington NC page.
On the island? Check the Oak Island tree removal permit rules once the emergency is over. For non-urgent work, see our tree services in Wilmington NC. Tree on the house right now? Call for emergency help now.
Common questions
Should I wait for the insurance adjuster before the tree is moved?
Take photos first. If the tree is causing ongoing damage, such as rain coming through a broken roof, most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent more damage. Call your insurer, tell them what is happening, and keep receipts. Our guide on what to do when a tree falls on your house covers this in more detail.
How fast can someone come out after a hurricane?
It depends on the storm. After a widespread event every crew in the region is booked, and jobs with a tree on an occupied house or blocking the only way out usually go first. Call early and be clear about what the tree is touching.
Does emergency tree work cost more?
Usually. HomeGuide notes that same-day or next-day removal often costs two to three times the standard rate, and cleanup of a tree on a structure takes more rigging and care than a planned removal.
A tree is leaning on my power line. Can a tree crew handle it?
Not until the utility has made the line safe. Trees in contact with power lines are utility work first. Report it to your electric provider and keep everyone away.
