Power lines change everything
If any part of the tree is in contact with a line, leaning toward one, or brought one down — stop right there. Keep people and pets away and call Duke Energy or your electric cooperative, or 911, before you call about tree work. No tree crew works energized lines; that's the utility's job, and a line lying quiet in wet grass can still be live. Helene left nearly the whole county dark for a reason — lines and trees came down together. The utility clears its hazard, then the tree work begins.
When a trunk has breached the roof, clear everyone away from that end of the house before you start making calls.
How storm work actually runs
Greenwood County's tree emergencies come from three directions: summer thunderstorm lines rolling off the mountains, the odd January ice night that loads every pine limb past its limit, and — as 2024 proved — the remains of a hurricane that didn't fully quit before reaching the Piedmont. The working order is always the same: make it safe, stop the bleeding, then finish. Getting the trunk's weight off your rafters and a tarp over the hole tonight matters more than hauling brush tomorrow.
When you call, be ready to say what fell, what it's on, and whether a truck can reach it. After a county-wide event everyone calls the same week, so jobs run in order of danger: occupied house first, blocked drive second, limb on the fence when the real hazards are cleared. You'll get a straight answer about where you land in that line.
