Emergency Tree Removal After a Hurricane in Puerto Rico: What to Do First

When the wind drops and you step outside after a hurricane, the trees are usually the first thing you see. A mango across the driveway, a flamboyán split down the middle, a branch resting on the roof. The instinct is to start fixing it right away. The first hours are when most avoidable injuries happen, though, and when the decisions that shape your cost and your insurance claim get made.

This is the order we recommend, based on how emergency tree work actually unfolds across the island.

Step 1: Make sure everyone is safe before you look at the trees

Before you think about the tree, think about the people. If anyone is hurt or trapped, call 911. Stay out of rooms where a trunk or large limb has come through the roof, because the structure may have shifted and the tree may still be settling.

Then look up and around, not just down:

• Hanging limbs. Broken branches caught in the canopy, sometimes called "widowmakers," can drop hours or days later without warning.
• Split trunks and torn unions. A tree that split at the fork can keep tearing as the wood dries and the wind returns.
• Uprooted or heaving root plates. If the soil around the base is lifted or cracked, the tree is no longer anchored. Saturated ground after heavy rain makes this worse.

Keep children and pets away from all of it.

Step 2: Treat every wire as live

If a tree or branch is touching a power line, or a line is on the ground, assume it is energized. Call 911 and LUMA at 1-844-888-5862. The utility has to de-energize the line before anyone, including a tree crew, can safely work near it. Do not try to pull branches off a line, and do not let anyone walk under a sagging wire to "check." Water and wet wood can carry current.

A tree service handles the tree once the line is safe. The order is always the utility first, then the crew.

Step 3: Put the chainsaw down

Chainsaw injuries go up after every major storm in Puerto Rico. Storm-damaged wood is under tension in ways that are hard to read: a bent limb can spring back with enough force to break bones, and a trunk that looks stable can roll when you cut it. Working from a ladder with a saw, or cutting a tree that is resting on a house, is a job for a trained crew with rigging gear.

It is reasonable to drag small, loose branches out of a doorway. Anything under tension, anything overhead, and anything touching a structure should wait for professionals. We cover this in more detail in why chainsaw accidents spike after hurricanes.

Step 4: Photograph everything before anything is moved

Once you are safe, take photos and video before any cleanup starts. This protects your insurance claim, and if a permit question comes up later, it shows why the work was urgent.

• Wide shots showing the whole tree and where it landed
• Close-ups of the damage to the roof, walls, fence, vehicle, or pool
• The base of the tree and the root plate, especially if it uprooted
• Any break points, cracks, or decay visible in the wood
• A shot that shows the date, such as your phone's timestamp or a newspaper in frame

Keep receipts for anything you pay for, including tarps and temporary repairs. Whether your policy covers the removal is up to your insurer and adjuster, so check your policy rather than assuming. Our photo checklist for documenting tree damage goes through this step by step.

Step 5: Call and describe the situation clearly

Puerto Rico Tree Services runs a 24/7 emergency and storm line at (787) 969-7802. After a major hurricane, phone lines across the island get busy and crews are triaging many calls at once, so a clear description helps put you in the right place in that order. Have this ready when you call:

1. Where the tree is. Town, barrio, and the closest landmark or road.
2. What it is touching. Roof, car, fence, power line, or nothing but the yard.
3. Whether anyone is in danger. Is the house occupied? Is an exit blocked?
4. Size and type, if you know it. "About two stories tall, a mango" helps a lot.
5. Access. Can a truck reach the tree, or is it behind the house, on a slope, or over a pool?
6. Photos. Have them ready to send if we ask.

We do not promise arrival times after a storm, because nobody honestly can when roads are blocked and the whole island is calling. What we do is assess the situation, tell you straight where you stand, and schedule the work in order of danger.

How emergency jobs are triaged

After a hurricane, crews work in roughly this order:

1. Trees on occupied homes or blocking the only way out. These are the true emergencies.
2. Trees threatening further damage. A cracked trunk leaning over a roof, or a hanging limb above a walkway.
3. Trees on vehicles, fences, and outbuildings.
4. Trees down in open yards. Messy, but not dangerous. This is scheduled storm cleanup, not emergency work.

Knowing where your situation falls helps you decide whether to call the emergency line tonight or book a cleanup for the coming days.

What affects the cost of emergency removal

Standard tree removal in Puerto Rico runs $300 to $2,500 as a planning range, and large palm removal $300 to $1,500. Emergency work after a storm often lands at the higher end of those ranges or above them, because of the conditions:

• Access. A tree on a roof, between houses, or on a hillside lot has to be rigged and lowered piece by piece.
• What it is resting on. Lifting a trunk off a structure without causing more damage takes rigging, more crew, and sometimes a crane.
• Power lines. Work can only start after the utility clears the line, and the crew has to keep its distance the whole time.
• Timing. Night work, weekend work, and dispatch during the peak days after a storm cost more than a scheduled weekday job.
• Hazard level. Split, twisted, and hung-up wood is unpredictable and slower to take down safely.
• Cleanup scope. Haul-off and disposal, or leaving wood on site, is usually a separate line.

Stump grinding is almost always separate, at $100 to $400 per stump. Ask for the price in writing before work starts, even in an emergency. A reputable crew can give you a written number on site. For more on pricing, see our guide to emergency tree removal cost.

When it is not an emergency

Plenty of storm damage can wait a day or two without risk: a tree down across the back yard, branches piled on the lawn, a palm that lost its fronds. Booking those as scheduled cleanup usually costs less, and it leaves crews free for the calls where someone is in danger. If you are unsure, call and describe it. We will tell you honestly whether it needs to happen tonight.

Trees that survived but look damaged also deserve a second look once things calm down. A cracked union or lifted root plate may need hazardous tree removal before the next storm, even if the tree looks fine from the street.

Local help across the island

We work storm response islandwide, including storm cleanup in San Juan, storm cleanup in Bayamón, and tree removal in Carolina. The work is done by ISA Certified Arborists from our main fulfillment partner crew, and we can provide written documentation and photos for your adjuster.

If a tree came down on your property, call our 24/7 line at (787) 969-7802. If the situation is not urgent, book a $40 on-site orientation, credited toward the job when you book.