1. Secure people first
Get everyone out of the affected area and away from anything the tree or limb is touching. That includes the deck, the car, the shed and the path below. A limb resting on a roof can slide hours later; a tree leaning against a house can keep moving as the wood relaxes.
If a power line is down, assume it is live. Stay at least thirty feet back, keep everyone else back, and call the utility. Do not move a branch that is in contact with a conductor, and do not put a metal ladder anywhere near it.
2. Photograph before you touch anything
Walk the property and photograph everything: the tree, the point of impact, the damaged roof or fence, the grade around the base, the vehicle. Claims are decided on documentation, and the scene will not look the same in six hours.
If a neighbor's tree is involved, photograph the property line and the base of the tree. If a contractor is already working nearby, photograph that too — a surprising number of damage claims hinge on who did what first.
3. Read the paperwork before you sign anything
You do not need permission to prevent further damage, but you do want your own claim started before a third party offers to handle it for you. Storm-chasing crews appear after every major event and ask homeowners to sign assignment-of-benefits paperwork at the curb, which transfers your claim rights to them.
Read everything you sign at the curb. A reputable company will give you a written estimate and let you read it through first.
4. Do not cut loaded wood
A limb under tension can kick back with enough force to kill. A trunk held up by a limb on a roof can roll when that limb is cut. A branch pinning a fence can release a spring-loaded section of the tree you were not thinking about.
Even the small, obvious cuts are where the injuries happen: chainsaw kickback on a limb at chest height, a ladder against a wet trunk, a bar pinched in a bind and the saw kicked back at the operator. Storm wood is unpredictable by definition.
5. Clear only what is safely clear
Light debris on open ground, branches under wrist thickness, and anything already detached and lying flat can be cleared by hand. Anything under tension, overhead, on a structure, or touching a line should wait for a professional.
Mark the hazard with something visible so nobody walks into it in the dark, and keep kids and pets out of the area until the tree is gone.
6. Get a written scope, not a verbal estimate
When you do call, ask for a written scope describing what will be removed, what happens to the stump, what is included in clean-up, and whether disposal is included. A storm-day verbal estimate tends to grow once the crew is on site.
Ask who will actually be on the crew. After a storm, unfamiliar outfits move through the county quickly, and if someone is hurt on your property the consequences land on you.