Emergency Storm Tree Service in Cleveland, OH

Emergency storm tree service covers the calls nobody plans for: a maple split down the middle onto the garage, a trunk across the only driveway, a limb punched through the porch roof, or a broken branch hanging in the canopy over the sidewalk. Cleveland gets these in two seasons. Summer thunderstorms bring wind and the occasional tornado, and winter brings wet lake-effect snow and ice that pull limbs off at the trunk.

What Northeast Ohio storms do to trees

On August 6, 2024, storms with at least two confirmed tornadoes cut power to roughly 470,000 people across Northeast Ohio, and fallen trees blocked roads and driveways and landed on porches and cars from Bay Village to Mentor. Days like that are when most storm work happens all at once. Trees with tight V-shaped forks, old topping cuts, decay at the base or roots cut by sidewalk and driveway work are the usual ones to fail.

First steps for homeowners

If a tree is on or near a power line, stay well back and call FirstEnergy's Illuminating Company or Cleveland Public Power, whichever serves your street; the City's Urban Forestry page notes that electric providers are responsible for maintaining their lines. If a City tree from the tree lawn has fallen on your house or blocked your driveway, the City treats that as an emergency, and you can report it through 311. For a tree from your own yard, get people and pets out of the affected rooms, take photos of the damage before anything is moved, and call your homeowners insurance company. You can call (216) 294-3085 at any time to leave the details.

How a storm job is done

A tree lying on a roof is under tension and can shift when the first piece is cut. The work starts with figuring out how the tree is resting and which parts are holding weight, then removing pieces from the top in an order that keeps the rest from rolling or dropping onto the house. On larger trees across buildings, a crane is sometimes the safest way to lift sections clear rather than cutting them where they lie. Once the weight is off, we can tarp the hole if needed and finish the removal and cleanup on a normal schedule.

Insurance and paperwork

This Old House notes that homeowners insurance may cover some or all of tree removal when a tree falls because of a covered peril such as windstorm, especially when it damages the house. Policies differ, so call your insurer. We give you a written, itemized quote that you can pass along, with the emergency work and the follow-up cleanup listed separately.