After a North Texas storm: clearing debris and ruined furniture without losing your claim

Document first, haul second

After a storm, photograph and video everything before you move it, make a list of the damage, and do not throw damaged items away until your insurance company tells you it is fine; that is the Texas Department of Insurance's own advice. Then separate the debris: tree limbs and brush can often go to city brush collection within its limits, water-soaked carpet, drywall and furniture need to come out quickly, and fencing, sheds and large volumes usually need a crew. Leave anything structural, electrical or plumbing to licensed trades.

North Texas gets its share of hailstorms, straight-line winds and the occasional hard freeze that bursts pipes, and we do storm cleanup as part of our regular work. The calls I take in the days after a storm almost always come from people who want everything gone immediately. I understand that, but a few hours of documentation first can make a real difference to what your policy pays.

Before any of that, make sure the property is safe to walk. Stay well away from downed power lines and report them to the utility, watch for nails and broken glass in debris piles, and do not climb onto a damaged roof or under a leaning tree to take photos. No picture is worth an injury, and an adjuster can document what you cannot safely reach.

What the insurance side asks of you

The Texas Department of Insurance's guidance after hail or windstorms is short and worth following closely. Take pictures and video of the damage. Make a list of the damage inside and outside the house. Do not throw any damaged items away until your insurance company tells you. Save all receipts, because your policy may pay for temporary repairs such as covering broken windows or holes in the roof.

In practice, that means your ruined sofa may need to sit in the garage or on the driveway until an adjuster has seen it or confirmed photos are enough. Call your agent or insurer early, ask how they want damaged contents handled, and write down who told you what and when. If you are not sure what your policy covers, your agent is the right person to ask; for the roof side of a hail claim, how to tell if hail damaged your roof and how the claim works is a useful companion read.

• Photos and video of every damaged room, item and exterior surface, wide and close up
• A written list of damaged items, with brand, model and approximate age where you know it
• Receipts for tarps, boards, fans and any emergency work
• Notes of every call with your insurer: date, name, what was said
• Permission from the insurer before damaged items are discarded

Sorting storm debris into the right piles

Storm debris is not one thing, and each type has a different path. Sorting it early saves money and keeps the curb pile within what the city will take.

Most of the year, deciding what goes to the curb and what needs a hauler is a simple judgment call, and I cover the everyday version in what the curb takes and where everything else goes. After a storm, the same rules apply, but the volume is bigger and the insurance documentation comes first, so sort with photos already taken.

• Tree limbs and brush: city brush and bulky collection may take it, within the monthly volume limit.
• Wet carpet, padding, drywall and soaked furniture: remove quickly once documented, because wet materials left in place make the drying and remediation harder.
• Fencing, sheds, playsets and decking: usually too heavy and too much volume for the curb, and a job for a crew.
• Damaged appliances and electronics: these are excluded from city bulk trash and need recycling.
• Fuel, chemicals, paint and anything that may contain asbestos: these need specialized disposal, not a junk truck.

What the city will and will not collect

If you live in the City of Dallas, the sanitation department's brush and bulky collection takes up to 10 cubic yards per monthly pickup, with one oversize pickup of up to 20 cubic yards allowed per calendar year. Set-outs over the limit or with excluded items are billed at $60 per 5 cubic yards, according to the city's brush and bulky page. Building materials, glass, electronics and appliances that contain coolant are among the excluded items.

After a big storm, a single yard can easily produce more than 10 cubic yards of limbs alone, and a flooded room can fill a curb with carpet and furniture. Suburbs such as Richardson, Garland and the Park Cities run their own programs with their own rules, and schedules can change after severe weather, so check your city's announcements before you build a pile. For anything beyond the limit, or anything the city excludes, a hauler or a rented container is the next step; I compare them in dumpster or junk removal crew.

Water damage changes the clock

Wind and hail debris can usually wait a few days while you document and talk to your insurer. Water damage is different. Soaked carpet, padding, upholstered furniture, mattresses and drywall hold moisture, and the longer they stay, the harder it is to dry the structure and prevent mold. Our storm cleanup work includes removing water-soaked furniture, rugs, carpet and padding, and drywall, so remediation crews can get in and dry the space.

If water is still standing or came from a burst pipe, call a water restoration company first. They extract water, measure moisture and dry the house, and they decide which materials must come out. We then haul what they have removed and what you have documented. If you are in that first stage now, the first 48 hours after finding standing water walks through it step by step.

What a storm cleanup crew does, and does not do

Our crews remove damaged furniture and household items, wet carpet and padding, yard waste and fallen limbs already on the ground, broken fencing, sheds, playsets and decking, damaged appliances and electronics, scrap metal and construction debris left from emergency repairs. Usable items go to local nonprofit donation partners when possible. Crews often coordinate with insurance adjusters and restoration contractors so the work happens in the right order.

There are clear limits. We do not cut trees; we haul the debris once it is on the ground, so a downed tree still attached or hanging over the house is a job for a tree service first. We do not do plumbing or structural repairs. And hazardous materials such as fuel, chemicals, paint, asbestos and certain contaminated materials need specialized disposal, though the crew can point you toward local resources.

Same-day and next-day storm cleanup appointments are offered, but after a widespread storm, demand climbs and availability depends on local conditions. If you know you will need help, book early, even if the adjuster has not come yet. The estimate is free and written, and the crew can come back once you have the go-ahead.

Storm chasers and other traps

Every major storm brings a wave of door-knockers offering cleanup and repairs. Some are legitimate. Many are not. The Texas Department of Insurance's advice applies to hauling as much as roofing: get more than one estimate, do not pay in full up front and never sign a contract with blank spaces. TDI also notes that it is illegal under state law to waive a homeowner's deductible, so anyone offering to do that is a red flag.

For debris removal specifically, be wary of anyone who wants to haul everything before the adjuster has seen it, will not give a written price, or cannot tell you where the debris is going. A pile of soaked furniture dumped on a vacant lot helps nobody, and it will not show up on any receipt you can give your insurer.

Paperwork that helps after the haul

Keep the written estimate and the final invoice for the debris removal with the rest of your claim file, since removal costs may be part of what you are reimbursed for, depending on your policy. Ask your insurer whether they want the invoice itemized by room or by type of debris.

When items go to charity, a donation receipt can also help. Our storm cleanup page notes that donation receipts, when available, can support insurance claims or itemized loss reporting. Charities decide what they accept, and after a storm, water-damaged items rarely qualify, so do not count on that for soaked furniture.

Finally, keep copies of your photos somewhere other than the phone that took them, such as a cloud folder or an email to yourself. Claims can take weeks to settle, and a lost or broken phone is a bad way to lose the best evidence you have.

Booking the cleanup

Once you have documented the damage and your insurer is comfortable, book a two-hour window online or by phone. The crew calls before arriving, walks the property with you, and writes an estimate based on how much truck space the debris takes. That figure is the most you will pay, and the crew can usually start as soon as you approve.

We work throughout Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Rowlett, Sachse, Wylie and the surrounding suburbs, seven days a week. If you are not sure what to keep for the adjuster and what can go, tell us when you call. We would rather wait a day than haul something your claim still needs.

Questions people ask me