--- title: Tree on the House or a Power Line: What to Do First url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/blog/storm-damage-what-to-do-first/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Blog](https://battleborntreeservice.com/blog/) - Storm damage: what to do first # What should you do first if a tree falls on your house or a power line? Get everyone away from the tree and call 911 if anyone is hurt. If a power line is involved, stay far away and call NV Energy, then call Battle Born Tree Service at [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243), our 24-hour emergency line. 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](tel: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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/trees-and-power-lines-nv-energy/). ## When do you call Battle Born? After 911 and the utility. Call [775.232.8243](tel: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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/blog/crane-removal-day-what-to-expect/). ## 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-fell-on-house/) and [insurance guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/homeowners-insurance-tree-removal/) 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/widow-makers-hanging-limbs/). We never tell a reader a tree is safe from a description. A little preparation helps. Save [775.232.8243](tel: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](https://www.nvenergy.com/tree) (read October 1, 2026) - [NV Energy: A Tree on Your Property (Tree Pruning Explained brochure, rev. 2017-05)](https://www.nvenergy.com/publish/content/dam/nvenergy/brochures_arch/help/brochures/treetrimmingexplained.pdf) (read October 17, 2026) - [OSHA: Electricity and Tree Care Work, A Deadly Combination (OSHA 3861, 2016)](https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3861.pdf) (read October 17, 2026) - [Consumer Reports: When a Tree Falls, Who Pays for the Damage? (July 8, 2019)](https://www.consumerreports.org/homeowners-insurance/when-a-tree-falls-who-pays-for-the-damage) (read October 17, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [A tree fell on the house: first hour checklist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-fell-on-house/) - [Trees and power lines in NV Energy territory](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/trees-and-power-lines-nv-energy/) - [Widow-makers and hanging limbs after a wind storm](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/widow-makers-hanging-limbs/) - [Emergency tree service and storm clean-up](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/emergency-tree-service/) - [Storm and snow-load breakage](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/storm-and-snow-load-breakage/) - [Crane removal day: what to expect](https://battleborntreeservice.com/blog/crane-removal-day-what-to-expect/) ### Terms on this page [Arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/arborist/) [The full glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/) ## More from the blog Pruning and care October 17, 2026 5 min read ### What should you do with your trees in October in Carson City and Reno? In October, finish watering while the ground is open, look over your trees for dead or hanging limbs, and clear leaves and needles away from the house. Save most live-wood pruning for the dormant seas Pruning and care October 17, 2026 6 min read ### Young trees in new subdivisions: the first ten years A young tree in a new subdivision needs very little pruning in its first two or three years, then steady structural pruning to build one strong central trunk and well-spaced branches. The ISA says tre Removal and equipment October 17, 2026 6 min read ### Where tree debris and green waste go in Reno and Carson City Green waste has a few legitimate homes in our area: the landfill or transfer station if the load is only wood and green waste, a fire district drop-off day or curbside chipping program if you qualify, [All posts](https://battleborntreeservice.com/blog/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Who do I call first if a tree hits my house? 911 if anyone is hurt. If a power line is involved, stay away and call NV Energy. Then call Battle Born at [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). ### Is it safe to go near a tree touching a wire? No. Assume every line is energized and stay far away. ### Does Battle Born answer at night? Our emergency service is available 24 hours at [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). We do not promise arrival times. ### Will insurance pay to remove the tree? Often it helps when a covered structure was damaged, but your insurer decides. Call before the tree is moved, and take photos.