Emergency & storm tree help in Puyallup

What to do in the first hour

1. Get people safe. If the house was hit and you hear cracking, see the ceiling sag, or smell gas, get out and call 911.
2. Stay clear. A downed tree can shift, roll or spring back as it settles. Don't start cutting it yourself.
3. Take photos of the tree and the damage from several angles before anything is moved.
4. Call your insurance company to start a claim and ask about coverage for removal and tarping.
5. Request tree help. Call or send the form with photos. Mention if the tree is on a building, blocking your only way out, or still moving.

Why Puyallup trees come down

Most of our damaging wind arrives between October and March, usually as southerly blows after the ground has been soaked for weeks. On the valley floor, the high water table and saturated soil let shallow-rooted trees tip over whole. On the hills, trees on the edge of a slope or a newly cleared lot take the full force of the gusts. Cottonwoods add a hazard of their own, since they're prone to dropping heavy limbs. And a wet snow or ice storm can bend firs and break maple limbs that would be fine in summer.

Street trees and the right-of-way

If the fallen tree is a street tree, usually one between the curb and sidewalk, it falls under the city's street tree rules. Puyallup's flow chart says removing a dead street tree doesn't need a permit, but removing a live one needs city approval, and replanting may be required. Call the City of Puyallup about a street tree or a tree blocking the road.

Before the next storm

• Each fall, look for new leans, cracked or heaved soil, dead tops, hanging limbs and fungus at the base.
• Pay extra attention to cottonwoods and to trees along greenbelt edges.
• Have large trees near the house looked at by a qualified pro or ISA Certified Arborist, and schedule risk work in the drier months.