Get Everyone Out and Stay Away From Wires
Get everyone out of the rooms under the impact, and out of the house entirely if the ceiling is sagging or you can hear the structure moving. A tree resting on a roof is still carrying load, and load shifts.
Then look for wires, and assume every one of them is live. A line down in the yard, a line caught in the branches, or a service drop pulled off the house all mean you do not approach the tree at all, from any side. Water conducts, so wet ground near a downed conductor is dangerous even at a distance.
Call 911 and the Utility Before Anyone Else
If anyone is hurt, if wires are down, or if you smell gas, call 911 first. Then call your electric utility to report the line, whether or not the power is out at your house. The utility owns everything touching their conductors, and no tree service in Massachusetts should be cutting a limb off a live line.
Only after the utility has confirmed the line is clear does the tree work start. This order costs you nothing and skipping it can cost a life.
Photograph Everything Before It Moves
Once you are somewhere safe, take photos. Wide shots from several angles, then closer ones of where the trunk meets the roof, the gutter line, the siding, and anything that landed on a vehicle or a fence. Get the base of the tree too, including the root plate if it came up.
Do this before anyone moves a single branch, because once the cleanup starts the scene is gone. Photograph the neighbor side as well if the tree crossed a property line.
Do Not Touch It With a Chainsaw
A tree lying on a house is under tension, and tension is what makes storm cutting different from firewood. Cut the wrong piece and the trunk rolls, the top springs, or the whole thing drops another two feet into the room below it.
Emergency storm damage tree service crews cut loaded wood in a specific order, from the ground, with the release planned before the first cut. Wait for them. Call for emergency help any hour.
