When strong winds rip through Pennsylvania neighborhoods, trees don’t always stay rooted where they belong. One minute you’re sipping coffee under the canopy – the next, you hear the crack, feel the ground shake, and see a massive limb on your roof. Or worse, tangled in a web of downed power lines sparking across the yard.
We’ve seen the full range of chaos that storms bring. And let’s be clear: downed power lines are no joke. They can electrify puddles, fences, even the ground itself – and they turn cleanup into a deadly gamble if you’re not trained and properly equipped. At Sunny Slope Tree Service, we’ve responded to too many calls where someone thought they could handle it alone.
This guide is here to walk you through what to do next: how to protect your home, your family, and yourself when disaster strikes, and the trees don’t stay standing.
Stay Safe First: What To Do Immediately After a Tree Falls
Safety should always be your first move after a downed tree. If there’s any risk to life or immediate danger:
- Call 911 – especially if someone is hurt or trapped, or if power lines are involved.
- If power lines are down but it’s not an emergency, your next call should be to your local utility company like PPL.
- Stay completely away from the fallen tree and especially from anything tangled with wires. Even if the tree looks stable, hidden risks like hanging limbs or live wires can turn dangerous fast.
- Never try to remove a storm-damaged tree yourself – not even “just a few branches.” It takes proper tools, professional equipment, and a trained team of qualified professionals to do it safely.
Power Line Protocols: Who Handles What
One of the biggest points of confusion is who does what when power lines are involved. Here’s how it usually breaks down:
- Utility companies focus on restoring power – not on cleaning up trees. They may cut away just enough to reach the lines or push tree debris to the side.
- If a storm damaged tree knocks out the power, the utility crew will clear what they must. But that’s it.
- Homeowners are almost always responsible for hiring a tree service company to finish the cleanup – even if the fallen tree ends up in the road.
Who’s Responsible for Cleanup?
It’s frustrating but important to know that even if a tree falls from your neighbor’s property onto yours, you’re probably the one who has to deal with the mess. Townships and municipalities might step in temporarily if a fallen tree is blocking a public road, but storm damage cleanup beyond that is rarely their responsibility. At Sunny Slope, we help homeowners clean up all kinds of storm tree damage safely and efficiently, taking the stress out of a very stressful situation.
When to Call Sunny Slope Tree Service
As soon as you know it’s safe (and the utility company has cleared any live wires), call us:
- If a tree is blocking access to your home or driveways
- If a limb is resting on your roof or garage
- If there’s a split or cracked trunk that looks ready to fall any minute
- Or if you just want a second set of eyes on something that doesn’t look right
Even if a tree hasn’t fallen yet, we can assess the risk and take action to prevent future storm damage.
How Fast Can We Get There?
We move fast when it matters:
- For emergency tree service calls – like fallen trees on a house or blocking a driveway – we aim to respond within 24 hours.
- If it’s a tree down in the yard but not threatening anything, we’ll still get there, it just may be a little later, depending on demand.
- During widespread storms, we triage. That means houses and blocked roads come first, then everything else.
Do Townships or Municipalities Handle Storm Cleanup?
Sometimes townships clear fallen trees off the road just enough to restore traffic flow, but that’s usually where their involvement ends. They don’t clean up debris on private property, and they won’t handle tree removal from your roof, yard, or driveways. That’s where we come in.
Sunny Slope Tree Service partners with a few local municipalities, but most of our work is directly with homeowners who need quick, professional help.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late – Call Sunny Slope Tree Service
We’ve had plenty of calls where someone says, “This just happened – can you come out today?” And we can. But sometimes, what’s even worse is when someone says, “That tree split a few days ago and now it’s on the house.”
If you spot broken branches, a leaning trunk, or cracks forming after a storm, don’t wait to call a professional tree service. Assess the situation early and bring in help before the next gust of wind makes things worse.
At Sunny Slope Tree Service, we:
- Respond fast to storm damage and fallen trees
- Rely on the right tools, professional equipment, and years of experience to protect your property
- Coordinate with utility companies to get the job done safely
- Help you prevent further damage with proactive tree care
When disaster strikes, we’re the ones to call.
Looking for storm damage cleanup in South-Central Pennsylvania? We’re just a phone call away. Contact Sunny Slope Tree Service for fast, professional help with tree removal after a storm, power line tree removal, and everything in between!
