Key takeaways
- Anyone hurt or trapped: 911 first.
- A line involved: stay away and call NV Energy. Assume every line is energized.
- Then call our 24-hour line at 775.232.8243 and your insurer.
- Photograph from a safe place; do not cut or climb.
Keep this order in your head before a storm: people, then power, then the tree. Nobody should cut or climb a damaged tree, and a tree resting on a roof can shift.
What do you do in the first minutes?
Get everyone out of the house and away from the tree, and call 911 if anyone is hurt or trapped. Keep children and pets back. Do not go back in for belongings until a professional says it is safe. Wind, cutting or removing weight can change how a tree rests on a structure.
What if the tree is on a power line?
Stay far away from the tree and the wire. OSHA's tree-care guidance says to assume all lines are energized at all times and keeps workers at least 10 feet from overhead lines up to 50 kV. A fallen or sagging wire can energize the ground, a fence or the tree itself. Do not touch the tree if it might be in contact with a line.
Call NV Energy. Its pruning brochure lists (775) 834-4100 as the outage and emergency number for Northern Nevada. Numbers change, so confirm it on nvenergy.com. See our guide on trees and power lines in NV Energy territory.
When do you call Battle Born?
After 911 and the utility. Call 775.232.8243; the phone is answered seven days a week and emergency service is available 24 hours. Tell us whether a wire is involved. After severe storms our priority is existing clients, but we serve anyone in need. We do not promise arrival times, because conditions after a storm vary.
Our emergency service covers trees on houses, clearing roads and driveways, debris collection and disposal, safety assessment, and cabling and stabilization. See emergency tree service.
What equipment lifts a tree off a house?
The crew first looks at how the load rests on the structure and at any wires, then picks a method. Battle Born owns a crane and a 75-foot Altec GMC boom truck. A crane can lift pieces off instead of dropping them, which limits more damage. Read how a crane job runs in crane removal day.
What should you document and who else do you call?
From a safe place, take wide and close photos of the tree, the damaged part of the house, the roofline, any wires and the yard. Call your insurer. Consumer Reports says your insurer may cover repairs and debris removal minus your deductible, and that removal payments are generally capped. Ask what it needs before the tree is moved. Your insurer decides coverage. Our first hour checklist and insurance guide go further.
If you cannot reach anyone and the situation is not an emergency, leave a message. Messages left with the office are returned within 8 hours, and the phone is answered seven days a week.
What about trees that did not fall?
Hanging limbs, splits and new leans are warnings. Keep people out from under them and have an arborist look. See widow-makers and hanging limbs. We never tell a reader a tree is safe from a description.
A little preparation helps. Save 775.232.8243 and the NV Energy number in your phone now, know where everyone in the house will go if a tree comes down and keep a flashlight where you can find it. After a storm, wait for crews to clear the area before you inspect the yard, and take your time. A tree that did not fall yet can still be loaded, so keep clear of it until an arborist has seen it.
Sources
- NV Energy: Trees and power lines (read October 1, 2026)
- NV Energy: A Tree on Your Property (Tree Pruning Explained brochure, rev. 2017-05) (read October 17, 2026)
- OSHA: Electricity and Tree Care Work, A Deadly Combination (OSHA 3861, 2016) (read October 17, 2026)
- Consumer Reports: When a Tree Falls, Who Pays for the Damage? (July 8, 2019) (read October 17, 2026)