What to Do After a Storm Damages Your Trees in Orlando

By: Shelby McCullough| Published: September 17, 2026

TL;DR: After a storm hits Central Florida, your first move is safety — not cleanup. Keep your family away from damaged trees, photograph everything before touching anything, and call an ISA-Certified Arborist for any tree that is leaning, split, entangled in power lines, or threatening a structure. Many trees can be saved with proper pruning; others need emergency removal before they cause further damage.

Central Florida averages more named storms per decade than almost any other region in the continental U.S. When a hurricane, tropical storm, or severe thunderstorm rolls through Orange or Seminole County, the aftermath can be jarring — downed limbs, split trunks, uprooted oaks, and trees leaning against your roofline.

Knowing exactly what to do in the first 24–72 hours protects your family, supports your insurance claim, and gives your trees the best shot at recovery. Here is a clear, step-by-step guide.

What You Will Need

  • Smartphone or camera (for thorough photo and video documentation)
  • Binoculars (to inspect the upper canopy from a safe distance)
  • Notepad or notes app (to log observations per tree)
  • Your homeowners insurance policy number and claims hotline
  • Contact information for a licensed, insured tree service with ISA-Certified Arborists on staff

Step-by-Step: What to Do After Storm Tree Damage in Orlando

  1. Step 1 — Stay Inside Until the Storm Fully Passes

    Do not go outside until winds have completely stopped and local emergency management has issued an all-clear. Storms frequently produce wind gusts long after the main cell passes, and a tree that looks stable can shift without warning.

    Keep children and pets indoors. A yard full of storm debris is, as safety experts put it, a minefield of sharp wood, unstable debris piles, and potential “widow-makers” still hanging in the canopy above.

  2. Step 2 — Scan for Downed Power Lines Before You Set Foot Outside

    Look through windows first. Downed utility lines can be hidden beneath branches and leaf litter. Treat every downed line as energized — electricity can travel through tree wood and saturated ground.

    If you see a power line contacting a tree, do not touch the tree. Call Duke Energy (for most of Orlando and surrounding areas) to report the hazard immediately, and keep everyone at least one full tree-length away. Only qualified line-clearance arborists are permitted to work near energized electrical utilities.

  3. Step 3 — Do a Safe Perimeter Walk and Document Everything

    Once you confirm no downed lines are present, walk a wide circle around each damaged tree — ideally at a distance of at least one full tree-length. Do not walk directly under a damaged canopy until you have confirmed no limbs are hanging under tension.

    Use your phone to photograph and video every damaged tree from multiple angles. Get wide shots showing the full tree and close-ups of any split crotches, root heave, or structural damage. This documentation is critical for your insurance claim — take it before anyone cuts or moves anything.

    Binoculars make it far easier to evaluate the upper canopy without stepping underneath it.

  4. Step 4 — Assess Damage and Identify Priority Hazards

    Not all storm damage is equal. Use these benchmarks to triage which trees need immediate professional attention:

    • Crown damage: If more than 50% of a tree’s crown is destroyed or heavily damaged, especially when the loss is concentrated on one side, recovery is unlikely without expert intervention — and removal may be the safer choice.
    • Trunk wounds: If a single wound covers more than 25% of the trunk’s circumference, the tree’s internal circulatory system may be too compromised to function properly.
    • Large limb breakage: Breakage of limbs over 4 inches in diameter is significant; breakage over 8 inches signals major structural loss.
    • Root heave or lean: Any tree that is visibly uprooted or leaning toward a structure is an immediate hazard and must be treated as a priority.
    • Central leader: If the main upright stem at the top is snapped, the tree’s long-term structure is severely compromised.

    Keep in mind that storm-damaged trees can show delayed symptoms. Some problems — including decay, internal cracking, and secondary pest infestation — may not appear until weeks or months after the storm. A one-time visual check is not enough for high-value trees near your home.

  5. Step 5 — Clear Only Small, Ground-Level Debris Yourself

    It is safe for homeowners to move hand-sized branches from walkways and driveways. Stop there. Leave anything that requires a saw or significant lifting to licensed professionals.

    Removing jagged remains of small broken limbs is reasonable and can reduce decay risk. However, large branches that are broken, hanging, or caught in other branches overhead must be handled by a certified arborist — these limbs are often under extreme tension and can fail suddenly and without warning.

    Do not use a chainsaw if you are not trained. Post-storm chainsaw injuries spike dramatically in the days following major storms. Storm damage cleanup is extremely dangerous, even for professionals.

  6. Step 6 — Contact Your Insurance Company and File a Claim

    Call your insurer as soon as you have completed your photo documentation. Understanding your Florida policy coverage before authorizing any major work will protect you financially.

    Here is what Florida homeowners generally need to know about tree removal and insurance:

    • Homeowners insurance typically covers storm tree removal only if the fallen tree damages a covered structure — your roof, garage, fence, or shed. If a tree falls harmlessly on your lawn, most policies classify it as debris and do not cover the removal cost.
    • Most policies cap per-tree debris removal at $500–$1,000, with a common aggregate limit of around $2,500 per storm event, regardless of actual removal costs.
    • Florida policies frequently carry a separate hurricane deductible of 2–10% of your dwelling coverage amount, which applies whenever tree damage occurs during a named storm — this deductible is often far higher than your standard deductible and can significantly affect your out-of-pocket costs.
    • If a tree falls on your car, your homeowners insurance typically will not cover vehicle damage; file through your auto policy’s comprehensive coverage instead.

    If a tree is actively threatening your home or blocking emergency access, do not wait for an adjuster’s visit before calling a tree service. Safety takes precedence — just be sure to photograph everything before work begins.

  7. Step 7 — Call an ISA-Certified Arborist for Professional Assessment and Removal

    Certain situations require advanced training and must be handled by arborists certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). These include: removing a leaning tree or broken limb near a house or other structure, restoring a damaged tree that could be saved, evaluating long-term risk, and reaching limbs that require climbing or overhead chainsaw work.

    A certified arborist will assess each tree individually, explain your options — save or remove — and carry out the work safely. For trees that can be saved, proper pruning to remove broken, hanging, or splintered limbs reduces weight stress, discourages pest entry, and encourages healthy regrowth. Over-pruning, however, can shock a tree and reduce its ability to photosynthesize, so professional judgment matters here.

    For large trees close to structures, or those in confined spaces, crane-assisted removal may be required to safely extract the tree without causing further property damage. McCullough Tree Service operates crane-assisted removal for exactly these situations throughout Orange and Seminole counties.

    To learn what emergency and standard tree removal typically costs in the Greater Orlando area, see our detailed breakdown: How Much Does Tree Removal Cost in Orlando? (2025 Price Guide).

  8. Step 8 — Follow Up: Monitor Recovering Trees Over the Coming Months

    Storm damage assessment is not a one-time event. Trees may show delayed symptoms weeks or months after a storm, making ongoing monitoring essential for long-term safety and tree health.

    Watch for wilting, unusual leaf drop, fungal growth at the base, or new cracks in the bark. Any of these after a storm warrants a follow-up call to your arborist. Schedule a professional inspection before the next hurricane season begins — ideally in late winter or early spring — so that any latent structural weakness can be addressed before storm conditions return.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Going outside before the storm fully passes. Wait for the official all-clear.
  • Walking under damaged canopies. Hanging limbs are under unpredictable tension and can fall without warning.
  • Cleaning up before documenting. Photograph and video everything before cutting or moving anything — your insurance claim depends on it.
  • Assuming a tree that “looks okay” is safe. Internal decay, root damage, and hairline trunk cracks are not visible from the ground.
  • Hiring unlicensed crews. After major storms, unlicensed, uninsured operators flood affected neighborhoods. Always verify that your tree service is fully insured and staffed by ISA-Certified Arborists.
  • Topping damaged trees. Topping — cutting back the main stem and large scaffold branches — is not an acceptable storm-recovery practice. It creates large wounds, invites disease, and produces weak regrowth. A certified arborist will never recommend it as a legitimate pruning solution.
  • Waiting too long on hazardous trees. A tree that was damaged in a storm but left standing may be significantly weakened and at elevated risk of failure in the next weather event — even a routine afternoon thunderstorm.

Which Orlando-Area Trees Are Most Vulnerable?

Research by the University of Florida/IFAS across multiple Florida hurricanes found that not all tree species handle storm winds equally. Trees demonstrating the highest wind survival in Florida included live oak, southern magnolia, sweetgum, crape myrtle, and sabal palm. Laurel oak — a common Central Florida landscape tree — showed significantly poorer survival than live oak under hurricane-force winds.

Fruit trees and pines also tend to sustain heavier damage. If your landscape includes laurel oak, water oak, or large pines near your home, a pre-season risk assessment by a certified arborist is especially worthwhile.

Why Routine Pre-Storm Tree Care Matters

Research following Hurricane Andrew found that trees that had been properly pruned before the storm survived better than unpruned trees. Regular, professional trimming reduces wind load, removes structurally weak branches, and allows a certified arborist to catch early decay before it becomes a storm-season liability.

If you are heading into hurricane season with trees that have not been assessed or trimmed in the past few years, now is the time to schedule a consultation — before the next storm, not after.

McCullough Tree Service: Orlando’s Storm Response Team

McCullough Tree Service has served the Greater Orlando area for over 30 years, with three ISA-Certified Arborists on staff. We provide storm cleanup, emergency tree removal, crane-assisted removal for large or tightly placed trees, stump grinding, and certified arborist consultations for residential and commercial properties throughout Orange and Seminole counties — including Orlando, Winter Park, Maitland, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, Lake Mary, Sanford, and surrounding communities.

We are fully insured, and we offer free estimates. Call us for a free post-storm assessment.

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Shelby McCullough

About The Author: Shelby McCullough

With over two decades of experience in the tree industry, Shelby McCullough is a highly skilled certified arborist and the proprietor of McCullough Tree Service. His unparalleled expertise and profound understanding of trees set him apart in his field.
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