Storm took a tree down in Fort Worth? Start here

Call 911 first if someone is hurt, or if a tree has come down on a house or a power line. This site is not for emergencies. Oncor says any line on the ground, a fence or a car could still be energized: "If you see a downed line, keep away, keep others and pets away and call 911 immediately."

Leave the limbs near wires alone

Oncor warned after a 2023 storm that debris "may be concealing a live wire or downed power line", and that anything touching a line, "such as a tree branch, could also be energized". It repeated the debris warning after the June 2025 storm. The city's November 2025 newsletter, written after that fall's storms, says about storm problems in public areas: "we strongly urge you to NOT attempt to move or remove any items yourself."

Fort Worth has seen plenty of this. On the night of October 24 to 25, 2025, NBC 5 reported that Fort Worth crews answered 136 calls about power lines down, and that more than 20,000 people in Tarrant County lost power at one point. Damaged trees lined streets off Schieffer and New York avenues in south Fort Worth. One trapped a car and one fell on a house. In September 2023, Oncor said its worst impacts included Tarrant County, with a peak of about 125,000 customers out across its affected areas, gusts over 60 mph and "downed trees and debris in power lines". The June 9, 2025 storm left nearly 6,700 affected customers in the Fort Worth area, by Oncor's data as reported at the time.

Who to call for what

If your bill names a line company other than Oncor, use that company's number. The who to call page explains how the city ranks a tree report.

If a limb has pulled your meter off

Oncor says that typically it owns the pole, the transformer and the wires to your house, and you own the meter base and the wiring at it. So after a storm you may need an electrician as well as the tree work. Its steps are to call the outage line and report the damage, have Oncor do a temporary hazardous disconnect, hire an electrician for the repairs, find out whether the city needs an inspection, then call 888-313-6862 for the reconnect. Oncor crews also clear limbs from lines so they can repair equipment. We did not see Oncor say it removes the rest of the tree, so do not count on that.

Before anything gets moved

Photograph it first. The Texas Department of Insurance wants photos taken before the tree is moved, and its storm tips ask for video too, plus a list of what was damaged indoors and outdoors. Step back for one picture of the whole tree and the spot it grew in, since the city's removal form asks for photos of a tree's condition and location. Temporary repairs to stop more damage are fine, and you should save the receipts, since the department says the policy may pay for them.

Whose insurance

These are the department's general answers, and your own policy decides. Ask whether insurance pays for a fallen tree and its short answer is "Sometimes."

Questions can go to the department's help line, 800-252-3439.

Standing, but hurt

Take your time with a tree that survived, once it is safe to look. Texas A&M Forest Service asks whether the tree was sound before the storm, whether major limbs or the main stem are gone, and whether at least half the crown is left. One lost major limb is usually survivable, by its account, but a split trunk means the tree should come out. The International Society of Arboriculture wants bigger trees near people or buildings looked at even if they seem fine: cracked trunks or limbs, branches hanging loose, heaved soil. It also warns that limbs under tension can react when cut, and that cleanup is dangerous work in itself. The trim or remove page goes further.

Oaks need one more thought. Storm dates here, like the ones in April and June, fall inside the February through June window when the Forest Service wants oaks left without fresh wounds, and it says wounds should be painted right away in any season. See the oaks page.

It is not only spring

The dates above run from June to October. The National Weather Service summary of April 2026, marked preliminary, records straight-line wind damage in the Agnes and Springtown areas of Parker County, just west of here. Winter has its own version: in the early 2023 ice event the agency received several reports of half an inch of ice across North and Central Texas, and DFW Airport took 2.4 inches of snow and sleet in January 2026. ISA lists the added weight of ice and snow among the ways storms break branches. So look your trees over after ice as well as wind.

Strangers at the door afterward

The FTC's line is "If they want cash up front, walk away", and it wants you paying by card or check. A contractor who offers to waive your deductible is breaking the law, says the Texas Department of Insurance, and after a declared disaster it is against the law for contractors from outside your area to ask for payment before they start. More is on the questions page, and the limbs and brush page covers what the city will collect.