Some of what a storm leaves in the yard should not be touched at all.

Duke Energy's first storm instruction is "Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging," and it counts "trees, limbs and anything else in contact with power lines" as part of the danger. The order to work in around it is set out in the first hour after a tree hits your house. This section is about how far that danger reaches.

OSHA's hurricane-recovery sheet for tree-trimming crews warns that "Downed electrical conductors can energize other objects, including fences, water pipes, bushes, trees, and telephone/CATV/fiber optic cables," and that lines "may become re-energized without warning as utilities are evaluated and restored after a disaster." Duke says electricity "travels easily through materials like metal, water, trees, the ground and anything containing water." And in a winter storm release dated January 3, 2022, EnergyUnited added a warning that matters in a yard full of brush: "Debris can cover fallen lines, making them difficult to spot."

If someone may have touched a line, the CDC's instruction is exact: "If you believe someone has had electric shock, call or have someone else call 911 or emergency medical help." Its next words are "Look first. Don't touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you."

Which utility to call about the line itself, and whose wire it is, is covered in who to call about a tree on a power line.

The CDC's chain saw guidance puts it plainly: "Beware of the release of bent trees or branches." It describes "trees or branches that have gotten bent, twisted, hung up on, or caught under another object during a high wind," and warns that when one "is suddenly released, it may strike the person cutting it, or a bystander, with enough force to cause serious injury or death."

NC State Extension's first steps after a storm include identifying "broken, bent and twisted limbs under tension that may unexpectedly spring back." OSHA's logging standard, written for logging work rather than yards, has a name for the thing: a spring pole, defined as "A tree, segment of a tree, limb, or sapling which is under stress or tension due to the pressure or weight of another object." A sapling pinned flat under a fallen trunk is exactly that.

The live emergency page describes a tree resting on a house as loaded like a spring, and a limb pinned in the yard is the same problem at ground level. Nothing here explains how to release one, because the release is the dangerous part.

The same Extension checklist says to "Examine tree canopies for large broken limbs that could fall." A limb that snapped and caught in the branches below it is still overhead, which is the reason the crew's advisory warns against parking vehicles under sagging trees.

Ice makes the same limbs heavier. In its January 25, 2026 storm release, Duke warned that "Low temperatures mean ice-covered limbs and power lines could fall even after precipitation ends." What the agencies say to do, and not do, about an ice-loaded tree is on ice storms and Piedmont trees.

NC State Extension's storm guidance tells homeowners to evaluate leaning trees, and it lists "Large, wind-thrown trees, ripped from the ground" among the trees to remove, along with large, leaning trees. Whether a particular tree is past keeping is worked through, with the published criteria, in the emergency or Monday job tiers.

An uprooted tree is not necessarily at rest either. OSHA's logging standard calls the ball of roots and dirt a thrown tree pulls from the ground the root wad, and before a wind-thrown tree is cut up it requires precautions "to prevent the root wad, butt or logs from striking an employee." The rule is written for loggers. What it shows is that the regulator treats the root end of a thrown tree as something that can strike a person once the tree is cut.

The CDC notes that "The potential risk of injury increases after hurricanes and other natural disasters, when chain saws are widely used to remove fallen or partially fallen trees and tree branches." The NC Forest Service says the same about timing: "Injuries don't just happen during a storm. They can easily occur during the cleanup phase."

The Forest Service and NC State Extension draw the line in the same place. The Forest Service: "If you have large debris that needs to be cut but are not familiar with safe chainsaw use, it is recommended that you consult a professional for the work." Extension: "Anytime removing a branch requires a ladder or a chainsaw, you should strongly consider hiring a tree care professional to do the job."

Ladders carry a second warning near wires. Duke says "When using an aluminum ladder, always check above for power lines. Aluminum is an exceptional conductor of electricity," and its rights-of-way guidance adds that "No one should climb trees that are in the vicinity of power lines."

One more thing stays as it is for a few minutes longer than feels natural. North Carolina's Department of Insurance says "Before doing any temporary repairs, photograph and make a list of the damage," and the photo checklist for storm tree damage shows how to do that when the damage is a tree.

The line at (336) 963-8330 is answered 24 hours a day. The most useful description follows this page's order: whether anything is touching a wire, what is bent or pinned under something else, what is still hanging, and where each one sits in relation to the house and the driveway. The rest of the storm side of the work is on 24-hour emergency tree service.