Free tool
Storm response checklist
By Umair Nawaz, founder of Lirevon Updated How we test tools
A 55-step checklist for tree companies, in four stages: before the season, 48 hours before a storm, the storm week and after the rush. Tick items as you go. Your ticks are saved in this browser. Add your company name and print it for the truck or the office wall.
Storm response checklist
All stages
0 of 55 done
Ready-to-use messages
Your storm messages and triage card
Starting versions with your company name filled in. Edit them to sound like you, then save them in your phone system before the season. Only text people who contacted you or agreed to hear from you. Short explanation, not legal advice. See the text compliance checker.
Storm-mode text-back
“We are full until” message
Photo request
Week-2 follow-up
Triage card: ask every caller
- What is the address, and the best number to text you?
- Is anyone hurt, or is anyone in danger right now? (If yes: call 911.)
- Is a tree or limb on a house, car or other building?
- Is a power line down, or is a tree touching a line? (If yes: stay away and call the utility.)
- Is a driveway or road blocked?
- Can you text us a few photos from a safe spot?
- Is this an insurance claim? (We provide photos and an invoice. Your insurer decides cover.)
Line rule: never touch a downed line or anything touching it. Keep everyone back. Call the utility.
General checklist only. Follow ANSI Z133, your own written safety program and the utility’s instructions. Not legal, insurance or safety-compliance advice. Made with lirevon.com/tools/storm-response-checklist
How this checklist works
- Stage progress = items ticked in that stage ÷ items in that stage, shown as a percent.
- Overall progress = all items ticked ÷ all 55 items.
- Saving: your ticks, company name and dates are kept in this browser on this device only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Messages: your company name and “full until” date are dropped into the starting messages. Edit them before you use them.
- Safety items are general reminders, not a safety program. Your written program and ANSI Z133 come first.
- Reset clears the ticks but keeps your company name, so you can reuse the list next storm.
Planning how many storm jobs you can take? Use the storm capacity planner.
Questions about storm response
What should a tree company do before storm season?
Service and stock your equipment, check PPE and rigging, review ANSI Z133 and your own safety program with the crew, check your insurance with your agent, and get the phones ready: call forwarding, missed-call text-back, a storm-mode text and a triage card. The first stage of this checklist covers it.
How do I handle the flood of calls after a storm?
Answer what you can, and make sure every missed call gets a text back within minutes. Ask the same triage questions every time, ask for photos by text, and put every lead on one list. Rank the list each morning by safety and access. When you are booked out, tell people honestly when you can come.
What should my storm-mode text say?
Keep it short: who you are, that you got their call, that you are working storm jobs by safety first, and ask for the address and photos. This page builds a starting version with your company name. Change it to sound like you.
Should I tell callers we are full?
Yes. A clear “we are full until [date]” message is kinder than silence. People can decide to wait or call someone else, and many will wait if you give a date and keep them on a follow-up list.
Can my crew clear a tree that is on a power line?
Not unless they are a qualified line-clearance crew working under the rules that apply to that work. Everyone else should stop, keep people back and call the utility. Treat every line as live. This is a short, general safety note, not legal advice. Follow ANSI Z133 and your own safety program.
What paperwork do customers need for insurance claims?
Usually clear photos from before, during and after the work, and a written invoice with the date, address and work done. Every insurer is different, so tell customers to ask their own insurance company what it needs. Do not promise what it will pay. Short explanation, not legal or insurance advice.
Is it legal to raise prices during a storm?
Some states have rules on raising prices during a declared emergency. Rules differ by state, so check yours or ask a lawyer. Setting fair storm pricing in writing before the season helps you stay consistent. Short explanation, not legal advice.
Can I text past customers before a storm?
Only people who gave you permission to text them, and your texting setup should follow the current business texting rules. Our text compliance checker walks through the basics. Short explanation, not legal advice.
When should I ask storm customers for reviews?
Within a day or two of finishing the job, while it is fresh. Ask every customer the same way and do not offer anything in return. Storm weeks can bring a lot of new customers at once, so this is a good time to ask.
Do my ticks get saved?
Yes, in this browser on this device only. Nothing is sent to Lirevon. Clear your browser data or press Reset to remove them. Use Print to keep a paper copy with your company name on it.
Storm weeks break phone lines
Be ready. Then catch every call.
Lirevon sets up missed-call text-back, an AI receptionist, a lead inbox with follow-ups and review requests for tree companies, so storm-week callers get an answer even when every crew is out.