A tree fell in a storm: what to do
Get everyone clear, stay at least 8 m from any fallen power line, call 000 if anyone is hurt and the SES on 132 500 if the tree is on your house or blocking access. Photograph everything before it is moved, call your insurer before authorising work, and don't cut a council tree yourself.
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 of Australia'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 not to do
- Don't go near fallen power lines, or anything touching them, including wet ground, fences and the tree itself.
- Don't cut a tree under tension. A trunk pinned against a house or bent under load can spring back violently when cut.
- Don't touch council trees, even if they are on your property. Report them.
- Don't let anyone without insurance do the work. Storms bring out door-knockers with chainsaws. Ask for their public liability certificate; here's ours.
Then the clean-up
Once the power is off and the scene is safe, we remove the tree, grind the stump if you want and give you an itemised invoice and photos for your claim. Call Wayne on 0412 708 072. In a big storm we deal with the most dangerous jobs first and tell you honestly when we can get to yours.
Sources: NSW SES (During a storm), Insurance Council of Australia (severe storm advice), Financial Rights Legal Centre (Tree damage in a storm), Dividing Fences Act 1991 (NSW).
Questions people ask us
My neighbour's tree fell on my fence. Who pays?
If a healthy tree fell in a storm, it is usually treated as nobody's fault and each owner claims on their own insurance. If the tree was dead, damaged or known to be dangerous, the owner may be liable. Under the Dividing Fences Act, an owner whose negligent or deliberate act damaged the fence can be liable for up to the whole cost of repairing it.
A tree fell on my car. Home or car insurance?
Car insurance.
Can the SES remove the tree?
The SES makes things temporarily safe. Removal and permanent repairs are for your insurer and a contractor.
Do I need council approval first?
A tree that has already fallen, or is imminently dangerous, can generally be made safe straight away. Keep photos; some councils want an arborist's note or to be told within a set number of days. Check your council.
Need the tree gone?
Once it's safe, we remove it, grind the stump and hand you the paperwork for your insurer.