Storm tree cleanup in Florence, SC
When a hurricane, thunderstorm or ice storm puts a tree on the house, the order you do things in matters. Here's what to do first.
The Pee Dee gets hit from two directions. Tropical systems move inland from the coast with wind and heavy rain: Hurricane Matthew dropped 12.77 inches on the Florence airport in 2016, and Hurricane Florence pushed the Lynches and Great Pee Dee rivers out of their banks in 2018. Winter brings freezing rain that loads limbs until they snap. The National Weather Service recorded more than an inch of ice in parts of southern Florence County and Marion County in February 2014, and widespread damage to trees and power lines.
What should I do first?
- Look for wires. If anything touches a line, keep everyone back and call the electric utility. Treat every downed line as live.
- Get people out from under it. If a tree is on the roof, keep everyone out of the rooms below.
- Take photos. Photograph the tree, the damage and the yard before anything is moved.
- Call your insurance company. Ask what's covered and whether an adjuster needs to see it first.
- Call a tree service. Say what the tree is lying on so the crew brings the right rigging or a crane.
Should I cut it up myself?
Small limbs lying flat in the grass, maybe. Clemson Extension's forestry agents warn against using a chainsaw on trees that are caught on something or resting in awkward positions, and say hung-up limbs can fall with only a slight breeze. A trunk bent under a roof or another tree holds a lot of stored tension. That's work for a crew with rigging and experience.
Watch for storm chasers
South Carolina doesn't license tree services, so anyone with a saw and a trailer can knock on doors after a hurricane. Get a written quote, ask for a certificate of insurance, and don't pay most of the job before the work is done.
Check the pines afterward
Clemson's Home & Garden Information Center says bark beetles target stressed and wounded pines, and storms leave plenty of both. Over the weeks after a storm, keep an eye on damaged pines for needles turning yellow or red and for pitch tubes on the bark. See dead pine removal for what to do if they turn.
The tree company sets the price after it has seen the tree, what it could hit and how a truck, lift or grinder can reach it. We don't quote prices, and a number given over the phone before anyone has looked at the job is only a guess.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Will homeowners insurance pay to remove a fallen tree?
It depends on your policy and what the tree hit. Call your insurer before major work starts and keep photos, the written quote and the invoice.
A tree is resting on my power line. Who do I call?
Your electric utility, first. Stay back and keep others away until the utility says the line is safe to work around.
Related services
More background: Florence, SC tree removal guide.
A pine leaning toward the roof, a split Bradford pear, or a stump you're tired of mowing around?
Call the number above and get connected with a tree company that works in Florence and the Pee Dee.