What to do right now
- Get everyone safe. If a tree came through the roof, leave that part of the house. Watch for broken glass, gas smells and electrical hazards.
- Don't climb on the roof or cut the tree yourself. Trees resting on structures are under tension and can shift or spring when cut.
- Take photos of the damage from several angles before anything is moved. Your insurer will want them.
- Call your homeowner's insurance to start a claim and ask what they cover for tree removal and debris.
- Send the request form and describe the damage and what the tree is resting on. Your request is passed to a local provider, but response times, including after hours, depend on the crew's availability, especially after a widespread storm.
Common storm damage in Laredo
Most of the year is dry, so trouble tends to come in bursts. Thunderstorms bring strong wind gusts and heavy rain onto hard, dry ground, and tropical systems moving inland can deliver days of rain. Typical calls after a storm include:
- Split trunks and torn forks on ash, older mesquite and other fast-growing trees
- Large limbs on roofs, fences, carports and vehicles
- Uprooted trees in saturated soil, especially shallow-rooted trees on caliche
- Hanging or cracked limbs ("widowmakers") that haven't fallen yet
- Palms and limbs killed by a hard freeze, which become hazards months later
What an emergency crew does
The first goal is to make the site safe and stop further damage. That means carefully lifting or rigging the tree off the structure, cutting it into manageable pieces, and clearing driveways and access. Full cleanup, stump grinding and pruning of damaged trees can follow on a regular schedule. Ask for a written description of the emergency work and the price before it starts if the situation allows. Insurers often ask for an itemized invoice.
Prevent the next one
Most storm failures start as visible defects: cracks, dead limbs, decay at the base, heavy limbs over the roof. A pre-storm-season check and corrective pruning or a planned removal costs far less than an emergency call.