A tree fell on a power line in my yard. Who do I call?

Call your electric utility first and ask them to de-energize the line. Pepco serves most of Bowie, and BGE serves some nearby communities such as Laurel. Stay at least 35 feet away, keep everyone else away, and call 911 if there is fire, smoke, or an injury. Never let anyone, including a tree crew, work near the line until the utility confirms it is dead.

Should I move debris off my roof before the insurance adjuster sees it?

Not before you document it. Take thorough photos and video from a safe distance first: the tree, the point of impact, and any interior damage. After documenting, reasonable emergency steps like tarping a hole are typically fine and often covered, but confirm with your carrier before major cleanup begins.

Is it safe to cut up a partially fallen tree myself?

No. A tree that is hung up in another tree, leaning on a structure, or resting under tension stores enormous energy in its trunk and limbs. Cutting the wrong spot can release that energy instantly, and this is one of the most common ways storm cleanup turns into a serious injury. Treat a partially failed tree as an active hazard and leave it for a professional crew.

Does the county or the City of Bowie remove fallen trees for free?

Only in limited cases. Prince George's County 311 (PGC311) handles service requests for trees blocking county roads and rights of way, and City of Bowie public works handles city-maintained street trees. Trees on your private property are your responsibility, though insurance may help if a structure was damaged.

How do I avoid storm-chaser scams after a big storm?

Be cautious with crews that show up unsolicited, especially out-of-state trucks, cash-only demands, pressure to sign paperwork on the spot, or anyone asking you to sign over your insurance benefits before you have talked to your carrier. Get written estimates, verify credentials, and take your time on anything beyond emergency mitigation.

Tree Down? The Prince George's County Storm Playbook: Your First 24 Hours

When a tree comes down in a storm, the order of operations matters more than speed: get people away from the tree, assume any nearby wire is live, and do not touch anything that is bent, hung up, or under tension. Once everyone is safe, your next job is simply to document what happened. Everything else, including the cleanup itself, can wait a few hours without making anything worse.

This page is a step-by-step reference for Bowie and Prince George's County homeowners in the first 24 hours after storm tree damage. Bookmark it before the next nor'easter, derecho, or tropical remnant rolls through.

Minute 1: Safety First, Especially Around Power Lines

If the tree touched, pulled down, or is resting anywhere near a power line, treat every wire as energized until the utility tells you otherwise. That includes the service drop running from the pole to your house.

Stay at least 35 feet away and keep children and pets inside. Electricity can travel through wet wood, wet ground, fences, and puddles, so the danger zone is much larger than the wire itself.
Call your electric utility to report the downed line and ask them to de-energize it. Pepco serves most of the Bowie area; BGE serves some nearby communities such as Laurel. Check your bill if you are not sure which one you have.
Call 911 immediately if there is fire, smoke, arcing, or anyone is injured or trapped.
Never approach a tree resting on a line, even if the wire looks dead or the power in your house is out. Lines can be re-energized remotely without warning.

No tree crew, including ours, will touch a tree in contact with a live line. The utility clears the electrical hazard first, then tree work can begin. If you want the fuller picture of how that handoff works, our tree removal near power lines guide covers it.

Do Not Touch: Trees Under Tension

The second hazard is quieter than a downed wire but injures far more do-it-yourselfers: a tree that has partially failed.

A trunk that snapped but did not fully drop, a large limb hung up in a neighboring canopy (arborists call these widow-makers), or a tree leaning on your roof is loaded like a spring. Wood under tension or compression stores enormous energy, and a single chainsaw cut in the wrong place can release it in a fraction of a second. The saw kicks, the trunk rolls, or the hung limb finally lets go, and there is no reaction time.

This is why professional crews approach storm damage with rigging, controlled cuts, and sometimes a crane, not just a saw. The rule for your first 24 hours is simple: if any part of the tree is off the ground, leaning, pinned, or suspended, treat it as an active hazard. Rope off the area if you can do so from a safe approach, and leave the cutting to a crew that does this work daily. Our page on hazardous tree warning signs explains what failure-in-progress looks like, which is just as useful before a storm as after one.

The First Hour: Document Everything for Insurance

Once people are safe and any electrical hazard is reported, pick up your phone and become your own claims adjuster for twenty minutes.

Photograph and video the scene from a safe distance. Capture the whole tree, where it came from, and where it landed.
Document damage to structures in detail: roof, gutters, siding, fence, shed, vehicles, and any interior damage like ceiling cracks or water intrusion.
Record the date and time, and note the storm (most phones timestamp automatically, but a quick voice note about conditions helps).
Do not move debris off a structure before you have documented it. Adjusters need to see the tree on the roof, not a tidy pile next to it. Document first, then mitigate.

The distinction between a tree that hit a structure and a tree that landed in open yard drives whether your policy pays at all, so those photos are worth real money. For the full claims walkthrough, including sub-limits, deductibles, and what to ask your adjuster, see our guide to homeowners insurance and tree removal in Bowie.

Who to Call, in What Order

After a widespread storm, everyone in Prince George's County is calling the same short list of numbers. Here is the sequence that actually serves you:

Your electric utility, if any wire is involved. Nothing else happens until the line is dead.
911, if there is fire, injury, a blocked occupied structure, or an immediate threat to life.
Your insurance carrier, to open a claim and get a claim number. Ask two specific questions: what emergency mitigation they authorize now, and when an adjuster can come out.
A professional tree crew, for a hazard assessment and emergency mitigation.

One useful distinction most homeowners learn the hard way: emergency mitigation and full cleanup are different phases. Tarping a roof, clearing a blocked driveway or entrance, and stabilizing an immediate hazard are generally claim-friendly steps that protect the property, and carriers usually want you to take them. The full removal and cleanup can often wait for the adjuster's guidance, and waiting can save you from paying for work the carrier would have scoped differently. Check with your own carrier, since policies vary, but "mitigate now, fully clean up after guidance" is the safe default.

If the tree is actively threatening your home, do not wait on the sequence. Our emergency tree removal page explains how urgent response works in Bowie.

County and City Resources

A few public resources are worth knowing, depending on where the tree fell:

Prince George's County 311 (PGC311) handles county service requests, including trees blocking county-maintained roads and rights of way.
City of Bowie public works handles street trees the city maintains within city limits. If the fallen tree stood in the strip between sidewalk and street, it may be theirs, not yours.
Maryland DNR Forest Service governs the rules around roadside trees on public rights of way, which require a permit before anyone trims or removes them. Our Bowie tree removal permit guide explains when those rules apply and when they do not.

For trees entirely on your own property, no permit is generally needed in Bowie, but responsibility for the tree, and the cleanup, is yours.

The Next 24 Hours: Protect, Estimate, and Avoid the Storm Chasers

With the emergency handled, the next day is about three things.

Temporary protection. Tarp roof openings, board broken windows, and move anything valuable out from under compromised ceilings. Keep receipts for tarps and materials; emergency protection costs are commonly reimbursable under a claim.

Estimates. Get written, itemized estimates from established tree companies for the removal and cleanup. Ask how they will protect the lawn, septic areas, and remaining trees, and ask what equipment the job needs. Maryland regulates tree care work for hire, so it is fair and smart to ask any company about its licensing and insurance credentials and to verify them before work starts. Our guide on how to choose a tree removal company in Bowie lists the exact questions worth asking.

Scam awareness. Big storms attract storm chasers. Classic warning signs: out-of-state trucks going door to door, cash-only pricing, quotes that expire "today only," and pressure to sign an assignment of benefits (AOB) that hands your insurance claim to the contractor before you have spoken with your carrier. A legitimate company gives you a written estimate and time to think. Nothing about storm cleanup requires you to sign anything in your driveway.

Once the urgent hazards are gone, the remaining work, hauling, limb removal, stump decisions, and repairing torn-up ground, falls under standard storm damage cleanup.

When You Are Ready for an Assessment

If a storm has put a tree on your house, your fence, or your nerves, we are glad to take a look and tell you plainly what is urgent and what can wait. The assessment is free, and there is no pressure to decide on the spot. Contact us here or give us a call, and stay safe out there.