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Crews and jobs
Storm capacity planner
Plan a storm week: crews, jobs per day and expected calls. See days to clear emergencies and a full-up text.
Open the tool: Storm capacity plannerFree course · Lesson 7 of 7
Your storm-season plan
Storm weeks can be the busiest and most stressful weeks of your year. The phone rings nonstop, every homeowner is scared, and your crew is tired. The owners who handle it well decided most things before the storm came. This last lesson helps you write that plan today.
By Umair Nawaz, Lirevon. About 8 minutes to read. Last reviewed: October 2026.
Why plan before the storm
During a storm you will not have time to think. Calls stack up, voicemail fills, texts pour in and your crew is already on a job. Every decision you make in that rush, from who goes first to what you charge, is harder and more likely to go wrong.
A written plan takes those decisions out of the rush. It also lets someone else, such as a spouse, an office helper or an answering system, follow the same rules you would. Everything from the earlier lessons comes together here: catching every call, replying fast, a website that takes requests, and prices built from your costs.
The kind of storm matters too. Hurricanes, ice storms, high winds, tornadoes and heavy snow each break trees in different ways. See our storm pages for the type your area sees most.
The six parts of a storm plan
1. The storm text and greeting
Write it now, not during the storm. Start with safety: stay away from downed lines and call 911 for anything life-threatening. Then ask for the address, a photo and a short description, and say when they will hear back. Record a matching voicemail greeting.
2. Triage rules
Decide your order before the phone starts ringing. A common order: tree on a home or a person trapped (after 911), tree blocking a road or driveway, tree on a car, fence or shed, then hanging limbs and yard cleanup. Write it down so anyone answering the phone sorts the same way.
3. Crew limits
Tired crews get hurt. Set the most hours per day and days in a row each crew will work. Decide which jobs you will not take, such as trees in contact with power lines, which are a job for the utility. Read our job site safety guide with your crew.
4. Storm pricing
Decide how you will price storm work before you are standing in a yard with a panicked homeowner. Base it on your costs from lesson 6, with the extra risk and equipment written in. Be fair, write the price down and avoid anything that looks like price gouging. Some states have rules on this; check yours. This is a short explanation, not legal advice.
5. Photos and paperwork
Some storm jobs involve insurance claims. Take before and after photos of every job, with the date. Give the customer a clear written estimate and invoice. It helps them, and it protects you.
6. Honest wait times
If your wait is five days, say five days. Update people when it changes. People will wait for a crew they trust if you are straight with them.
For a ready-made outline, use the storm response plan template and the storm response checklist. For safety, read the job site safety guide. For pricing, read pricing storm work.
A simple storm timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before the season | Write the storm text, triage rules, crew limits and pricing. Service the saws, chipper and trucks. Stock fuel, bar oil and rigging gear. |
| Storm forecast | Turn on the storm text and greeting. Tell your crew. Charge phones and radios. Check your insurance certificates are current. |
| First 24 hours | Safety first. Triage every lead by your rules. Take only the jobs your crew can do safely. Give honest wait times. |
| The weeks after | Work the list in order. Update waiting customers. Ask for a review after each job. Note what to change for next time. |
How many storm jobs can your crews really handle in a week? Work it out with the storm capacity planner. Then plan who covers the phone at night with the after-hours coverage planner. To keep dated photos of every job, try the storm damage photo log.
A starting-point storm text
This is a template, not a tested result. Change it to sound like you, and check it against US texting rules. This is a short explanation, not legal advice.
Thanks for contacting [Company]. If a tree is on a power line or anyone is hurt, stay away and call 911 first. Otherwise, reply with your address, a photo and what was hit. We are sorting jobs by safety and will reply by [time]. Current wait is about [X] days. Reply STOP to opt out.
Check the wording with the text compliance checker, and read the full storm season guide for more.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Saying yes to everyone. A long list of promises you cannot keep turns into angry reviews. Take what you can do, and be honest about the rest.
- Working the crew past safe limits. Storm work is dangerous on a good day. Fatigue makes it worse.
- Losing leads in the flood. Use one inbox or one list, with the triage order, just like lesson 4.
- Pricing in the moment. Use the prices you set before the storm, based on your costs.
- Forgetting the review. A storm customer you helped well is a good person to ask for a review. Ask for a Google review when the job is done.
Your task for today
Write a one-page storm plan. Put six headings on it: storm text, triage order, crew limits, storm pricing, photos and paperwork, wait times. Fill in each one in plain words. Save your storm text on your phone. Share the page with whoever answers your phone or helps in the office. This takes about 45 to 60 minutes, and you will be glad you did it the first time the wind picks up.
Checklist
You finished the course
Over seven lessons you have built the pieces of a system: finding your missed-call leak, a stronger Google profile, steady reviews, fast follow-up, a website that books, prices that pay, and a storm plan. You can run all of it yourself with the free tools on this site.
If you would like a second pair of eyes, ask for a free audit. We look at how your calls, website, reviews and Google profile work today and send you a short, plain-English list of fixes. If you want it done for you, see our services and pricing. Lirevon is new and has no tree-service clients yet; our first case studies are planned for December 2026.
Get your certificate
Finished all seven lessons? Print a free certificate with your name and company, and get a small badge for your website. It is a self-reported record of a free course, not a licence or accreditation.