What to Do After Storm Damage (Before We Arrive)

The Pacific Northwest sees a wide range of storm hazards depending on where you are — Pacific windstorms and atmospheric rivers on the west side, and high wind events, heavy wet snow, and summer thunderstorms here in Central Washington and the rest of the interior. Every one of them can leave a tree down on a roof, a fence, a car, or a power line. If that happens, what you do in the first few minutes matters more than what you do after we arrive.

1. Treat Any Downed Limb Near Power Lines as Live Even if the power looks out, do not assume a line is safe. Keep everyone — kids, pets, neighbors — well away from any tree or branch in contact with a utility line, and call the power company immediately. This is the single most dangerous situation after a storm.

2. Don't Go Near a Tree That's Still Standing but Damaged A tree with a fresh crack, a significant new lean, or a large hanging limb is unpredictable. It can fail hours or even days later. Stay back, keep others back, and rope off the area if you can do so safely from a distance.

3. Document the Damage If it's safe to do so from a distance, take photos of the tree, the damage to your property, and the surrounding area. This helps with insurance claims and lets us assess the situation before we even arrive on-site.

4. Call Your Insurance Company Early Most homeowner policies cover tree removal when a tree damages your home, garage, or fence. Getting the claim started early — even before cleanup begins — usually means a smoother process.

5. Call Us — We Respond to Emergencies We provide 24/7 emergency response for exactly this kind of situation across Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Roslyn, Leavenworth, and the surrounding area. We'll assess what's safe to approach, stabilize or remove what needs to come down, and handle full cleanup so you're not left with a hazard or a mess.

Storms are unpredictable, but how you respond doesn't have to be. Keep our number saved — when a tree comes down, we're ready to come to you.

Sources - National Weather Service, storm safety guidance: https://www.weather.gov/ - OSHA, downed power line and tree-debris safety: https://www.osha.gov/ - Washington State Department of Natural Resources, storm and wildfire recovery resources: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/