Large trees on your property can be wonderful, but having one too close to your house is risky. Old trees may seem sturdy, but a tornado or some other severe weather event can cause them to fall onto your roof. If you’re lucky, you’ll only have one or two branches damage your shingles. If you’re not, you could have a tree fall through your roof and practically destroy your home. If this disaster happens on your property, here’s what you should do.
If you’re in your home when a tree falls on it, your priority is to evacuate safely. You might be able to go to a place in your house that hasn’t been damaged but you should never assume that your home is completely safe. Calmly move through the undamaged parts of your home, get outside, and go somewhere safe.
Once you are someplace safe, it’s time to call emergency services to assess the damage. This is especially important if the tree knocked down any power lines or if you suspect gas lines were damaged.
After you’ve called 911, it’s time to call your insurance company. Your homeowner’s insurance should cover the damage caused by a falling tree, but you need to act quickly and process your claim as soon as possible.
Document everything related to the accident. Write down where you were and what you were doing when it happened, and take photos of the damage. Anything you document will be helpful when filing your claim with your insurance company.
Once emergency services have deemed it safe, you can return to your property and secure your home. If it’s going to be some time before cleanup and repairs are completed, consider boarding up your doors and windows to protect your home from invaders. Gather anything you might need from your home that hasn’t been damaged.
The cleanup and repair process might be a long one, so start it as soon as it’s safe to do so. As always, leave most of the work to the professionals. The last thing you want is to injure yourself or damage something in your home because you tried to fix things yourself.
Whether a falling tree has only damaged the shingles on your roof or destroyed a part of your home, don’t hesitate to contact Ritco Group Inc. as soon as you can about starting the repair process.
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