What to Do When a Tree Falls on Your Roof
Heavy storms can cause trees to topple, limbs and branches to snap off, and other types of property damage. The scariest and most dangerous of all is if a tree falls on your roof. If this happens to you, please evacuate the house and call 911 ASAP. Below we will go over some steps to follow if a tree does fall on your roof.
Step 1 – Get Out of The House
The very first thing to do if a tree falls on your roof is to get out of the house immediately. Get out as fast as you can with your family and pets. Please don’t try to get anything else. Your life is more important than anything else that’s inside the house.
You might think that the roof took all the damage and it can’t get any worse. The reality is that your roof getting damaged will create other structural problems. Before things get worse, make sure you and your family are out and safely away from the house.
Step 2 – Call 911
Once everyone is outside the house, call 911 and let them know that a tree fell on your roof. When you are on the phone with the dispatcher let them know exactly what happened and provide them with all the relevant details about the incident.
Most likely, they will send the fire department and police department to your location.
Step 3 – Call Your Insurance Company
While you’re waiting safely outside the house, you can take a moment to call your insurance company. Just as you did with the local emergency services, let them know what has happened and ask them what you need to do.
They may ask you to fill out paperwork or take photos and videos to document the damage. If you have a smartphone app with your insurance company, you may be able to do some of the work through that as well.
Step 4 – Evaluate if Your House is Safe or if You Need Temporary Lodging
The emergency service that showed up at your house should be able to indicate if your house is safe to remain or if you will need to find temporary lodging. If you need temporary lodging, in most cases your insurance company will cover the living arrangements.
Step 5 – Call a Local Roofing Company
After all of this, it’s time to call a local roofing company to have your roof damage inspected. A roofing professional can take a look and tell you all of your options. In the case of a tree falling on your roof, you will typically either need substantial repair work or a whole roof replacement. Thankfully, you don’t simply have to go with a roofer that your insurance company chooses. In fact, you can choose whichever roofing company you want and feel the most comfortable with.
Regardless of what you need, it’s nearly always better to contact a local service team, because they know the area, the most common types of tree damage, the roofing needs of the city, and more. We recommend that you give us a call at G and Bros Roofing LLC to have one of our trained roof specialists take a look and give you a quote. You can give us a call at (410) 677-4975, email us at office@gandbrosroofing.com, or fill out our instant quote form.