After storm, fire or flood damage: what to do first

Damaged property after a storm, fire or flood is often more dangerous to walk through than it looks. Take it slowly and in the right order.

Safety first, always

Stay well clear of trees with broken or hanging limbs, leaning trunks, or any tree that's been burnt through the base - these can fail without warning, sometimes well after the event that damaged them. Watch for fallen powerlines after storms, and don't assume a line is dead because power is out in the area. After fire, ground can stay hot and hollowed-out root channels can collapse underfoot even days later. After flood, check for structural undermining around sheds, fences and tracks before walking on ground that looks solid.

Hazard trees are an arborist's job, not ours

Any tree that's structurally compromised - split, leaning, fire-damaged at the base, or with a cracked canopy - needs a qualified arborist to assess it, not a vegetation contractor. We don't fell hazard trees. If you've got damaged trees near a house, shed or driveway, get an arborist out before anyone, including us, works nearby.

Document before you touch anything

Photograph and video the damage widely before clearing debris or moving fallen material - insurers and, where relevant, disaster recovery assistance programs need this evidence, and it's much harder to reconstruct afterwards. Note dates, extent of the damage, and anything already lost or destroyed. Check your policy and any funding program's requirements about what you're allowed to clear before an assessor has been out, since some require sign-off first.

Separate the jobs

Storm and fire recovery on a rural property is rarely just one trade. Fallen and damaged vegetation, windrows of debris and burnt scrub are what we deal with. Structural repairs to sheds, fences and buildings, dam wall damage, driveway and track reshaping, and demolition of damaged structures are separate trades entirely - get quotes for those independently rather than expecting one contractor to cover it all.

What vegetation recovery work actually covers

Clearing fallen timber and storm debris, mulching fire-damaged scrub and regrowth, and removing wind-thrown material that's cutting off access or creating fire or safety hazards. We assess what's recoverable versus what needs removing, and the right machine gets brought in depending on the terrain and the volume of material.

Timing matters more than it seems

After fire, let the ground cool and get an all-clear from authorities before arranging machinery access - hot spots can reignite in mulched material. After flood, wait until ground has dried enough to carry equipment; working saturated ground does more damage and gets machinery bogged. After storm, prioritise access routes and anything cutting off emergency vehicle access first, then work outward.

What to have ready for the site visit

Your documentation, any insurer or program correspondence about what's approved for clearing, and a clear idea of priority areas - access first, then recovery of the rest. We'll walk the property, flag anything that needs an arborist or other trade before we touch it, and scope what's realistic for us to clear.

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