Hurricanes can cause immense damage whenever they occur. They can break branches or, worse, cause trees to fall on power lines, posing a significant risk of power outages. Since hurricanes occur unexpectedly, how do you handle the fallen trees after a storm? The first thing will be to contact professionals such as Bronx Tree Specialist to help safely handle the fallen trees and assess how safe it is for your family to live on the property. Here are some more measures to take in handling damages from a hurricane.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Fallen trees can cause considerable damage to a property, especially a roof. Contacting your insurance company is vital to determine whether the company can cater for the damage costs, which helps you minimize your overall expenses. Note that insurance will only cover the repair costs stipulated on your auto or home insurance policy. It would be best to engage your legal consultant to understand what your insurance policy will cover to avoid being misguided by the company.
The insurance experts will first assess whether the tree was strong before the hurricane or not. If the results determine that the tree was weakened before the hurricane or that you had uprooted it before, they will not cater for any damage costs citing the argument of negligence. However, before assuming this is the case, it’s appropriate that you inquire and analyze what your insurance cover can cater for.
Contact a Tree Specialist Company
Removing fallen trees is unsafe for you and should be left to the professionals. This is because professional tree removal experts ensure no accidents on site. For instance, the equipment used to remove trees, for instance, chainsaws and grapple trucks, is dangerous and can cause injuries if used by inexperienced people. By hiring a tree company, you will be at peace knowing that you and your family are safe.
Tree specialists also assure you of rapid and efficient removal of trees since they have the know-how and the required equipment for the job.. Therefore, you can resume your regular schedule as soon as possible.
Prune Remaining Trees.
After the tree professionals have removed fallen trees, you have to clear damaged leaves and broken branches in your yard, which will help maintain the health of the trees. It would be best to prune the remaining trees intensely as the hanging parts might cause more damage. However, it is advisable to take it slow and prune after at least one week of hurricane damage.
The purpose of pruning after a hurricane is to remove mud or dead plants that might have stuck on the tree trunk. Understand that dead plants will rot over time which might also cause the tree to deteriorate, affecting its health. You will also have to monitor the pruned trees to check on their growth progress.
Inspect the Remaining Trees
After all the fallen trees are removed, it is vital to inspect the conditions of the remaining ones. If the remaining trees are healthy but have a few fallen branches, it is wise to trim the branches and keep the trees. However, if cutting the branches will give an unappealing look to your environment, it would be best that you uproot the whole tree. This will ensure that you maintain the value of the property by keeping the trees intact.
There are obvious signs to look out for in order to know if complete removal of the tree is the right decision. If more than 50% is damaged, it can be hard to maintain it in the future; thus, its removal is warranted. Another sign is if the tree in question is diseased or has prior damage; removing it from your property is an ideal move as they pose a risk to your family and neighbors.
Lastly, even though not all leaning trees are not dangerous, they can cause concern in case another hurricane hits. It would be best to cut it so that you do not live in fear of impending danger.
Tree damages from hurricanes can be disastrous if not handled with care; hence, to guarantee your family’s safety, hiring a tree company is prudent. The above steps will guarantee your safety and proper care of the trees in your environment.