If a tree is on your house, your car or blocking the only way out, call (423) 275-4820 now. We’ll connect you with a local crew that takes storm and emergency calls around Chattanooga.
If anyone is hurt or a power line is down, call 911 first. Treat every downed line as live. Stay at least 30 feet away and keep kids and pets inside.
Call (423) 275-4820 Get a free estimate
Do these first
- Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house. A tree resting on a roof can shift as it settles or when the wind picks up again.
- Report downed lines. In most of Chattanooga that’s EPB at (423) 648-1372. Outside EPB’s area, call your own utility. Nobody, including a tree crew, should touch a tree tangled in a line until the utility says it’s safe.
- Shut off utilities if the house is damaged and you can do it safely: gas, water, and power at the main panel.
- Take photos before anything moves. Wide shots of the tree on the structure, close-ups of the damage, the stump or root plate, and any water coming inside.
- Call your insurance company to open a claim, and ask whether an adjuster needs to see the tree before it’s removed.
- Call us and we’ll get you a crew.
What an emergency crew does
Gets the tree off the structure. Usually with a crane or bucket truck and a climber, taking the tree apart in controlled pieces so nothing drops further into the house.
Makes the area safe. Broken limbs hung up in the canopy and cracked trunks that could still fall get dealt with before anyone works underneath them.
Opens up access. Driveways and private roads cleared so you can get in and out.
Covers the damage. Some crews can tarp a damaged roof until a roofer gets there. Ask when you call.
Documents everything. Before and after photos and an itemized invoice your adjuster will want to see.
What emergency work costs
Expect emergency and after-hours work to cost roughly 25 to 50 percent more than a scheduled job. After a big storm, when every crew in the county is booked solid, it can go higher. Lifting a large tree off a house with a crane can run several thousand dollars.
When a tree damages a covered structure, homeowners insurance often pays to remove it from the structure, subject to your deductible and policy limits. Our guide on whether homeowners insurance covers tree removal in Tennessee explains what’s usually covered and what isn’t.
Storm season around Chattanooga
Most emergency calls here follow severe spring and summer thunderstorms, which can bring straight-line winds strong enough to snap healthy oaks. Tornadoes are a real risk too. The Easter Sunday tornadoes in April 2020 tore through East Brainerd, Ooltewah and Collegedale, and many of the trees that came down that night landed on houses. Winter ice storms add weight to limbs until they break, especially on the mountains, where it’s colder than in the valley.
The trees that fail first are usually the ones that were already weak: decayed trunks, dead ash trees, and shallow-rooted trees on soaked ground or steep slopes. If a storm left a tree cracked or leaning but still standing, deal with it soon. A damaged tree is the most likely one to come down in the next storm.
Watch out for storm chasers
After a major storm, out-of-town crews go door to door across Hamilton County. Some do fine work. Many have no insurance and are gone once they’re paid. Protect yourself:
- Get a written estimate and a certificate of insurance before any work starts
- Don’t pay the full amount up front
- Be very careful with anyone who wants you to sign over your insurance claim to them
Emergency questions
Can someone come out tonight? We’ll connect you with a crew as fast as we can. How quickly they arrive depends on the storm and how many calls are already waiting. Calling early helps.
Should the tree come off before the adjuster sees it? Ask your insurer. If the tree is causing more damage, most policies expect you to prevent further loss. Take thorough photos either way.
A tree fell but didn’t hit anything. Is that an emergency? If it’s blocking a driveway or road, yes. If it’s lying in the yard, it can usually wait for a regular estimate, which costs less.
Get a free estimate
Prefer to talk? Call (423) 275-4820.
Need a tree crew around Chattanooga?
Call (423) 275-4820 or send a few details. We’ll match you with an independent local crew for a free written estimate, usually the same day.