CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Strong winds and heavy rain can cause a lot of havoc in Hampton Roads. Thousands of people lost power during the storm Tuesday night and some had trees topple onto their homes.
DJ Green with AJ’s Tree Removal said his crews are busy helping homeowners clean up.
"This one came kind of out of the blue it seemed like, so yeah, I got a bunch of hits yesterday.”
Green said there are warning signs for people to identify weak trees near their homes before gusty winds take them down.
"If you have broken branches falling off your tree, that is a big sign you might want to get rid of it," Green said. "If it is leaning and the ground is uprooting a little bit, that is a super red flag.”
If the tree is rotting or has fungus growing on it, Green said it should go.
"If a lot of the tree is dead -- maybe not all of the tree, but even if a lot of the branches are dead -- that tree is a lot more likely to fall over," Green said.
But he also cautioned that even healthy, large trees can cause damage in the right storm. Green said he recommends people take down big trees that are close to their homes.
"It is too risky," Green said.
When it comes to insurance, Green said people should clarify what their company covers.
“A lot of insurance companies will not cover damage to your fence or a deck," he explained. "Or if you have a playground in the back or a trampoline and you are thinking, 'Oh, my homeowner's insurance will cover this,' that is not always the case.”
According to Allstate Insurance, the situation that caused a tree to fall is important for claims. Information on its website said insurance usually won't cover damage caused by negligence or a maintenance-related issue like a rotting tree.
Allstate also said if a tree falls on your property but doesn’t damage anything, homeowner’s insurance typically doesn’t cover tree debris removal.