Storm damage isn’t always the tree on your house. The hidden damage is what fails next month. Free post-storm assessment at (850) 820-2166.
Storm damage tree work splits into two categories: the visible damage (tree down, branch on roof, fence flattened) and the hidden damage (split codominant leaders, root heave, half-failed trees that look fine and aren’t). Most Tallahassee homeowners book the visible work and ignore the hidden work — and the hidden work is what fails in the next storm.
This page covers what we look for on a post-storm assessment, what immediate emergency work looks like, what insurance carriers cover, and the documentation we provide that turns post-storm chaos into a clean claim.
The two categories of storm damage
Visible damage — obvious and urgent
- Tree on house, garage, fence, shed, vehicle, or pool cage. priority dispatch, insurance documentation, tarp/board-up.
- Tree blocking driveway, road, or access. priority dispatch clearing.
- Tree leaning hard with root heave visible. Controlled lower before it falls on its own.
- Large branches down on the ground. Cleanup and haul-off.
- Tree resting on power lines. Utility coordination required — we stage but don’t cut until the line is de-energized.
Hidden damage — the next storm’s emergency
Hidden damage is what we catch during the post-storm assessment that the homeowner walking the yard alone wouldn’t see:
- Codominant leader split. A vertical crack running down the trunk at the union of two major stems. Sometimes 8–15 feet long and only visible from up in the canopy.
- Crown imbalance from lost limbs. When a major branch comes off in a storm, the tree’s center of gravity shifts. The next storm pushes the imbalanced crown harder than the now-missing limb did.
- Root heave on adjacent trees. When one tree falls in saturated soil, the soil around its neighbors often loosens. A “fine-looking” tree 20 feet from a fallen one is at elevated failure risk for weeks.
- Hung-up branches in the canopy. Limbs that broke but didn’t fall to the ground — caught in lower canopy. Will eventually drop on whatever’s beneath.
- Trunk fissures from wind torque. Fresh longitudinal cracks invisible from the ground.
- Sapwood exposure on damaged tops. A tree top that broke but didn’t come off fully exposes sapwood to fungal infection. The tree will be dead within 18 months.
A post-storm walkthrough catches all of these. The DIY yard scan catches the visible damage only.
What our post-storm assessment includes
- Property walk by an ISA-certified arborists in our network lead. Every tree taller than your roofline gets eyes on it.
- Written hazard rating for any tree showing damage indicators. Categories: immediate / high-priority / monitor / clear.
- Photographs of every damage indicator found, geotagged.
- Insurance documentation package ready for your carrier — see below.
- Quote for the work the assessment recommends, line-item itemized.
The assessment itself is free if any of the recommended work is booked. Standalone post-storm assessment runs $150–$300 depending on lot size.
What insurance carriers cover after a Tallahassee storm
Most Florida homeowner carriers (State Farm, Citizens, Tower Hill, USAA, Allstate) follow a similar pattern:
Usually covered:
- Removal of the tree from the damaged structure
- Tarp and board-up labor to stop further damage
- Itemized arborist documentation (typically included in the contractor’s invoice)
- A second tree on the property if the same wind event damaged it
Sometimes covered (depends on carrier and rider):
- Stump grinding (often classified as cosmetic — denied unless rider)
- Tree removal from yard blocking access (sometimes yes, capped at $500–$1,000)
- Trees the assessment identifies as imminent failure from the storm event (rare but possible)
Almost never covered:
- Trees the carrier determines were sick or dying before the storm
- Preventive removal of trees that didn’t fail
- Yard cleanup beyond the immediate work zone
- Stumps and root systems beyond what’s needed for ground safety
For the full insurance walkthrough see our tree insurance claims after Tallahassee storms guide.
The insurance documentation package we provide
Every storm-damage job we run ships with:
- Date- and time-stamped photographs — before any cuts begin
- Photographs of the trunk fracture surface showing whether failure was sudden (storm) vs progressive (rot/disease, which often denies coverage)
- Itemized scope of work — line by line, removal vs debris haul-off vs stump grinding vs tarp/board-up
- Certificate of insurance from us, demonstrating $2M general liability + workers’ comp
- ISA-trained arborist assessment of remaining trees the carrier should consider under the same claim
A homeowner who calls a no-insurance cash crew and pays cash can technically do the work — they just can’t claim the work cleanly. Carriers want the documentation, the insurance certificate, and the arborist signature.
Pricing for storm damage work
Ranges as of June 2026:
| Scenario | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Single large branch on roof, no structural damage | $400–$900 |
| Tree leaning hard, no contact, controlled lower | $1,200–$3,000 |
| Small tree on shed/fence/pool cage | $800–$1,800 |
| Medium tree (40–60 ft) on one-story house | $1,800–$3,800 |
| Large tree (60–80 ft) on two-story house, crane needed | $4,500–$8,500 |
| Tree on vehicle, daytime | $900–$2,400 |
| Mature tree through second-story bedroom (worst case) | $7,500–$14,000 |
| Post-storm assessment (standalone) | $150–$300 (free w/ work) |
| After-hours/weekend dispatch surcharge | +$250–$600 |
For the full cost breakdown see our tree removal cost guide.
What to do in the first hour after the storm
- Survey from inside the house first. Look out every window. Note visible damage.
- Step outside cautiously once winds are below 30 mph. Watch for down power lines, hung-up branches, foreign objects.
- Photograph everything — wide shots and close-ups. Before any cleanup begins.
- Call us at (850) 820-2166 if there’s a tree on your house, vehicle, fence, or detached structure.
- Call your insurance carrier’s claims line to open the file.
- DO NOT climb ladders, run chainsaws, or attempt to clear branches yourself in the first 24 hours. The injury rate doubles.
After the cleanup — preventing the next one
Every storm-damage job we run ends with a written assessment of remaining trees on the property. The most common follow-up recommendations:
- Codominant leader cabling on high-value live oaks
- Crown reduction on trees that lost balance
- Dead-wooding on the trees that survived but shed everything they should
- Pre-hurricane walk the following spring
See our pre-hurricane tree inspection and hurricane prep checklist for the prevention side.
Related storm-response guides
- Emergency tree service Tallahassee — the 24/7 dispatch process
- Post-storm tree damage assessment — week-one walkthrough
- Tree insurance claims — what carriers cover, what they deny
- Lightning-damaged tree recovery — separate category, separate protocol
Storm damage tree removal FAQ
Are you available the priority dispatch after a Tallahassee storm? Yes. We dispatch storm-response crews around the clock starting the moment conditions allow safe operation. Most Tallahassee homeowners have a crew on-site within 2–6 hours of their first call.
Will my homeowner’s insurance pay for storm damage tree removal? Usually yes if the tree damaged a covered structure (house, garage, fence, shed, pool cage). Usually no if the tree fell in the yard without hitting anything. Always yes for the part of the cost that ties to making the property safe.
Can a tree that “looks fine” after a storm actually be damaged? Yes — and this is what the post-storm assessment is for. Hidden damage (codominant splits, root heave, crown imbalance, hung-up branches) often only shows in the next storm. We catch these on the post-storm walk.
How much does storm damage tree removal cost? $400 for a branch-off-roof up to $14,000+ for a large tree through a two-story house with extensive interior damage. Most jobs land $1,800–$4,500. After-hours dispatch adds $250–$600.
Do you handle the entire claim, or just the work? We supply the documentation — photos, scope, COI, ISA assessment. You file the claim. We’ll talk to your adjuster directly if you authorize it.
What if there’s a tree on a power line? Call us and the utility (Talquin or City of Tallahassee Utilities) immediately. We don’t cut into power-bearing branches until the line is de-energized. We stage the equipment and brief the utility crew on arrival to compress the timeline.
