After the storm: the hangers, the leaners, the pile at the curb, and the tree that's still in the canal
Downed trees cut and hauled, hanging limbs roped down before they fall on someone, leaners assessed, debris chipped — and stacked to the city's post-storm rules when a declared pickup is running.
The week after a hurricane in Cape Coral, every lot has the same four problems: a tree or part of one on the ground, hanging limbs still in the canopy that will come down in the next breeze, a leaner that's half uprooted and waiting, and a debris pile that has to go somewhere. After Ian the city collected 1.9 million cubic yards of it — 1.5 million cubic yards of vegetation — with 160 trucks a day for two and a half months; after Milton it was another 50,000 to 100,000 cubic yards. During a declared collection the rule is four separate piles at the curb (vegetation, construction debris, appliances, garbage), nothing near a hydrant, mailbox or power line, in piles a claw truck can grab. Outside a declared window, the regular horticulture pickup takes small bundled pieces only — nothing a tree company cut, no stumps, logs or root balls — so we haul.
We work the dangerous things first. Hangers over the house, the driveway and the pool cage are roped down before anyone walks under them. Leaners are either pulled over and cut up or, if the root plate is only partly lifted and the tree is worth saving, assessed by our arborist for staking. Trees in the canal are cut back from the seawall and lifted out so they don't batter the dock. Then the chipper runs, the lot is raked, and if the storm damage reached the roof we photograph everything for the adjuster before we move it.
What's included
Hangers first
Broken limbs still in the canopy roped down before they come down on their own.
Downed trees cut and hauled
Sectioned, chipped and removed; the city won't collect tree-company debris.
Leaners assessed
Partly uprooted trees either removed or, when the arborist says they'll recover, righted and staked.
Trees in the canal
Cut back from the seawall and lifted out before they damage the dock or the neighbor's.
Curbside to the rules
During a declared pickup, stacked in the right pile, clear of hydrants and lines, claw-truck sized.
Insurance photos
Everything documented where it landed before it's moved.
Storm cleanup cost in Cape Coral, FL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hangers and small limbs, one lot | $300 – $900 | Roped down, chipped |
| One downed tree, cut and hauled | $500 – $2,000 | Depends on size and where it landed |
| Whole-lot storm cleanup | $1,500 – $5,000 | Several trees, hangers, debris chipped and hauled |
| Tree out of the canal | $800 – $3,000 | Crane or winch from the seawall |
| Leaner righted and staked | $300 – $800 | Only when the arborist says it will take |
| Post-storm debris haul only | $250 – $600 / load | When the city collection has ended |
These are 2026 Lee County ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — the climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, the wildlife and mangrove check — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about storm cleanup
Will the city pick up my tree debris after a storm?
After a declared storm, usually yes — Cape Coral and Lee County run special collections with four separate curbside piles, and after Ian and Milton that ran for months. Outside a declared window, the regular pickup takes small bundled pieces from homeowners only. Debris a tree company cut is the company's to haul, which is why hauling is in our price.
A tree is leaning over since the storm. Can it be saved?
Sometimes. If the root plate lifted a little on one side and the tree is young, it can be pulled upright and staked, and it will re-root. If the plate is heaved up a foot, the trunk is cracked, or it's a big ficus or Australian pine, no — it's a removal. The arborist decides on site.
There's a tree in my canal. Whose problem is it?
If it came off your lot, yours; if it floated in, usually the lot it's touching. Either way it needs to come out before it works on the seawall and the dock. We cut it back from the wall and lift it out from your side.
How fast after a hurricane can you come?
We start the morning the roads open and work in order of danger: trees on structures, blocked driveways, hangers over walkways, then general cleanup. We tell you where you are in the line and we don't promise what we can't do that day.
Should I cut the hanging limbs myself?
Please don't. Hangers are the thing that hurts people after a storm — they drop when the limb below them is cut. Leave them to a crew with ropes and a bucket.