In the first hour
- Get everyone out of the way, inside the house if the tree is on the roof and the structure is sound, or out if it isn’t.
- Power lines: if a line is down or the tree is touching one, stay at least 8 m away. The SES’s advice: “Trees that have fallen across powerlines could also be electrified. Do not attempt to remove trees or branches.” Call Ausgrid (13 13 88) or Endeavour Energy (131 003).
- Call 000 if anyone is injured or trapped, or there’s a fire.
- Call the SES on 132 500 if the tree is blocking your front door, driveway or road, is threatening to fall on the house, or your roof is damaged or leaking. The SES does “temporary emergency measures to make your home and the situation safe”.
Before anything is moved
- Photograph and video everything: the tree, where it came from, the damage, the stump or roots. The Insurance Council’s advice is to document the damage before you start the clean-up.
- Call your insurer early. Ask for its permission in writing before you authorise any work, including emergency repairs. If you’re in financial hardship, ask about an advance payment.
- Don’t throw out anything that could be repaired.
Whose tree was it?
- A council tree (street or park): report it to the council, or the SES in an emergency. Don’t cut it yourself. In the Sutherland Shire, council removes a fallen council tree up to your boundary.
- Your tree: you, and your insurer if it damaged insured property.
- Your neighbour’s tree: if it was healthy and came down in a storm, it’s generally treated as an act of nature and each owner claims on their own policy. If it was dead or known to be dangerous, the owner may be liable.
What insurance usually covers
Policies differ, but in general:
- removal of a tree that damaged the insured home is often covered, sometimes up to a limit
- a tree that fell without damaging anything is often not covered
- preventive removal is never covered
- a car hit by a tree goes on the car policy
Then the clean-up
Once the power is off and the scene is safe, a tree service can remove the tree, grind the stump and give you an itemised invoice and photos for your claim. Check the contractor’s insurance first: storms bring out door-knockers with chainsaws and no cover.
If you’re in the Shire or St George, call us. In a big storm we deal with the most dangerous jobs first.