The tree to worry about is the one near the house
Every hurricane season, the trees that cause the expensive damage are the big ones already leaning, already weak, or already hanging over the roof, and the time to deal with them is before a storm is named, not during. A crew can look at the trees around your house and tell you which are genuine hazards worth removing or trimming back now, while it is a planned job at a normal price, instead of an emergency in the dark with water coming in.
When it is already an emergency
When a storm has already put a tree on the roof or across the drive, that is emergency work: getting the weight off the structure safely so the damage stops, and clearing access. It is more dangerous and more expensive than planned work because it is done fast under bad conditions, sometimes with the tree under tension in ways that can spring.
This is absolutely not a DIY moment with a chainsaw and a ladder; it is exactly when to call a crew that does it.
Get on the list before the rush
After a hurricane or a big blow, every tree crew in the region is slammed and out-of-town crews pour in, so the smart move is having your hazard trees handled before the season and having a crew you can reach when it counts. Planned storm prep in the calm months is cheaper, safer, and available, which is three good reasons not to wait until the cone is pointed at us.
- Deal with the hazard tree before the storm, not after
- After a storm, downed trees on the house are an emergency
- Get on the list early; everyone calls at once after a hurricane
Questions people ask about Storm Prep and Emergency Removal
How do I know if my tree is a real hurricane risk?
The signs a crew looks for: a lean that changed recently, dead limbs in the crown, cavities or mushrooms at the base, cracks where big limbs join, and soil heaving on one side. Any of those near a house is worth a professional look before the season, when fixing it is a planned job at a planned price.
A tree is on my house right now. Who do I call first?
Make sure everyone is safe, photograph what you can safely, then get a crew moving, because the immediate job is getting the weight off the structure before it does more damage. Call the insurance company in parallel. Mitigation is expected; waiting days with a tree on the roof for an adjuster helps nobody.
Can I trim the neighbor's branches hanging over my yard?
The general rule in Texas is you may trim to the property line, but general rules are not legal advice, and fence-line tree fights sour neighborhoods fast. The better sequence: talk to the neighbor first, then have an insured crew do the cut properly so a botched trim does not kill a tree you both then argue about.
New to this? The plain-English guide to ordering walks through what to decide first.