Storm checklist · Toledo, Ohio and Monroe County, Michigan
What to do after storm tree damage in Toledo
Distance first, the utility second, photos third, the insurer fourth, the tree crew fifth. That order protects people, keeps the claim intact and gets the tree off the house before the roofer arrives. The full sequence, the wind record and what a standard policy pays are in the storm history and insurance guide; this page is the short version.
1. Put distance before documentation
Get people out of rooms under the tree and out of the house if the structure is compromised. Do not approach a line, a leaning trunk, a hanging limb or unstable debris to get a better photo. A trunk on a roof keeps moving as it settles.
2. Call the utility if a wire is involved
Contact the electric supplier on your bill: Toledo Edison at 888-544-4877; DTE at 800-477-4747; or Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Use the municipal utility where it serves the property. No tree crew starts until the utility has made the line safe. Ask about service-drop clearance and cleanup: the scope differs between utilities. See FirstEnergy DTE and Consumers Energy. Structural danger, a gas smell or an injury is a 911 call.
3. Take wide photos only when the area is safe
All sides of the tree from a distance, the point where it meets the roof or wall, the base or root plate, and anything else it hit. The adjuster needs the tree in place before any cut. A wide view also shows the crew the access and what is underneath without anyone walking into the work zone.
4. Call the insurer and get a claim number
A standard policy pays to remove a tree that wind drops on a covered structure, with debris often capped near $500 per tree and $1,000 per event; a tree in the yard that hit nothing is usually yours. Emergency work to stop further damage is expected. The claim number goes on every invoice.
5. Describe what is affected and request the crew
Note whether the tree is on a structure, a vehicle, a driveway, a fence or a public road, and whether a wire was involved. Avoid guessing about tree health, electrical status or structural stability. A tree on a roof is lifted off with a crane — the only way to take weight off a crushed truss without adding damage — and the crew that performs storm work for this site owns its cranes, so the lift-off does not wait on a rental yard the week every roofer in the metro is calling for one. Ask for the estimate itemized: crane, crew, hauling, stump.
Which trees fail in Toledo storms
The June 2012 and June 2022 derechos and the March 13, 2026 windstorm each put thousands of trees down across Northwest Ohio, per the National Weather Service; the ones on houses were mostly silver maple leaders split at the union and dead ash killed by the emerald ash borer. The dead ash and problem trees guide explains why, and the crane tree removal guide explains how they come down before the next one.