Storm season on the Coast doesn’t send invitations — it just arrives, usually somewhere between a scorching November afternoon and a 3am gust that changes your plans. The homeowners who glide through it aren’t lucky. They prepared in September.
This is the preparation sequence we run for our own clients. Steal it shamelessly.
September–October: inspect
Walk the property with fresh eyes: dead limbs, cracks at unions, fungal brackets, new leans, lifted soil, branches over roofs and lines. Photograph concerns. Anything within falling distance of a bedroom, car or play area goes on the professional list — a free assessment sorts the urgent from the fine.
October–November: prune with purpose
Book the work before the rush: deadwooding first, then roof clearance, then selective thinning on dense canopies and end-weight reduction on long laterals over targets. Decline any quote that proposes topping — you’re preparing for storms, not scheduling future ones.
November: the unglamorous wins
Gutters and valleys cleaned. Leaf dams cleared. Loose items (trampolines, furniture, pots) given a storage plan. Stumps and dead trees finally dealt with. Your street tree checked if it’s worrying you (council’s job — report it). Numbers saved: Treesafe 07 5472 8660 and Energex 13 19 62.
During the season: the rules
Never shelter under, park under, or walk under big trees during warnings. After a blow, treat every damaged tree as loaded and dangerous — no DIY on storm-loaded timber, ever. Photograph damage for insurance before touching anything, then call. Genuine emergencies jump our queue — that’s the point of having a 24/7 crew.
Every year: the rhythm
Storm preparation works because it’s annual. Trees grow, conditions change, last year’s sound tree develops this year’s deadwood. Put the inspection in the calendar next to the smoke alarm batteries, and storm season becomes weather again — not dread.
Prepared trees ride out storms; neglected trees become them. One season’s rhythm, repeated, is the whole secret.
