The first thing to do after a tree falls on your house or car is get everyone out of the immediate area and make sure no one is injured. Once people and pets are safely away from the scene, your next call should be to an emergency tree service — not to start moving debris yourself.
Get Everyone Safe First
Before anything else, account for every person and pet in the home. If a tree has come through a roof or wall, structural damage may not be visible from the outside. Ceilings can be weakened, walls can be unstable, and in the worst cases, a gas line may have been struck during impact.
If you smell gas anywhere inside or outside the home after a tree strike, leave immediately and call your gas provider. For Huntsville residents, that means contacting Huntsville Utilities before re-entering the property for any reason.
Do not go back inside a heavily damaged structure to retrieve belongings until a professional has assessed whether it’s safe to do so. The tree may appear stable from the outside while the interior has significant hidden damage.
Stay Away From Power Lines
If the fallen tree is touching, has pulled down, or is anywhere near a power line, treat the entire area as energized and dangerous. This includes the ground around the line — electricity can travel through wet grass and soil.
Do not touch the tree, the line, or any metal fencing, gutters, or structures that may be in contact with either. Call Huntsville Utilities or your utility provider immediately and keep everyone at a safe distance until the line has been confirmed de-energized by the utility company.
A reputable emergency tree service will not begin work on a tree touching a live power line until the utility has cleared the scene. Be cautious of any crew that doesn’t follow that protocol.
Document Everything Before It Gets Moved
Once immediate safety is addressed, take photos and video of all visible damage before anything is touched or removed. Walk the perimeter of the house or vehicle and capture the full scope — the tree itself, where it’s resting, any structural damage, and any secondary damage to fences, vehicles, or landscaping nearby.
This documentation is critical for your homeowner’s insurance claim. In Alabama, insurance adjusters need clear evidence of how the damage occurred and what was affected before any cleanup begins. Moving debris or covering damage before photos are taken can complicate — or in some cases jeopardize — your claim.
After documenting, call your homeowner’s insurance company to open a claim. Many emergency tree service companies in Huntsville can provide detailed written reports and photos directly to your adjuster, which speeds up the claims process significantly.
What to Do About the Car
A tree on a vehicle is covered differently than a tree on a house. Damage to your car from a fallen tree typically falls under the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance policy — not your homeowner’s policy — regardless of whose property the tree came from.
The same documentation rules apply. Photograph the vehicle from every angle before the tree is removed. Note the position of the tree, the point of impact, and any secondary damage to the vehicle’s body, glass, or undercarriage.
Do not attempt to drive the vehicle or pull it out from under the tree. A tree resting on a car can shift unpredictably when weight is redistributed, and removing it incorrectly can cause additional damage that the insurance company may not cover if it happened after the initial impact.
Covering and Securing the Property
If a tree has breached your roof or an exterior wall, the structure needs to be temporarily covered as quickly as possible — especially during Alabama’s unpredictable spring and summer storm seasons. Rain getting into an open roof can cause water damage that compounds far beyond the original tree impact in a matter of hours.
Most emergency tree service crews can place a temporary tarp over a breached roof area while the full removal is being completed. Ask specifically about this when you call — it’s a detail that makes a real difference in limiting the total damage to the home.
If a tree has fallen on your house or car in Huntsville, Alabama, an emergency tree service can respond quickly, document the damage thoroughly, and handle the removal safely while you focus on your family and your insurance claim. Having a local company’s number on hand before an emergency happens is always worth the thirty seconds it takes.