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Storm and Emergency Tree Removal in Southaven, MS

If a tree has come down on your house, your car or a power line in DeSoto County, Mississippi, the order is: get people out of the damaged rooms, stay well clear of any wire, report the line to Entergy at 800-368-3749 (or Northcentral Electric Cooperative if it serves you), call 911 for injuries or a blocked road, photograph everything, and call your insurance company before any permanent repair. The saw work comes after that, and storm work usually costs more: HomeGuide lists emergency rates of $150 to $250 an hour (checked Nov 11, 2026).

A large tree uprooted after a storm, lying on a crushed wood fence, its root plate standing on edge beside a water-filled hole
A large tree uprooted after a storm lies on a crushed wood fence, its root plate standing on edge beside the water-filled hole it left.

The first hour, step by step

  1. People out. Leave any room where a trunk or limb has broken through the roof or a wall, and keep children and pets back from the tree.
  2. Treat every wire as live. A limb lying across a line can be energized, and so can the ground around it. Entergy's own words: "It is not safe for you or private contractors to work near energized lines." Report it to Entergy at 800-ENTERGY (800-368-3749). Homes served by Northcentral Electric Cooperative can reach the co-op through its main number, (662) 895-2151 (checked Nov 11, 2026).
  3. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, if gas is escaping, or if a tree is blocking a road. On an interstate or state highway, 911 is the call; MDOT maintains those roads. On an unincorporated county road, the DeSoto County Road Department lists "Road Side Limb/Debris Pick-Up" among its services and takes calls at 662-469-8025. On a city street, call public works: Southaven 662-796-2489, Olive Branch 662-893-5208, Hernando 662-429-9322 (checked Nov 11, 2026).
  4. Photograph before anything moves. The tree, the roof from outside and inside, the fence, the car. The Mississippi Insurance Department tells homeowners to "Photograph the damage to your property in order to assist in filing an insurance claim."
  5. Call your insurance company or agent. MID says to file "as soon as possible" and warns, "Your policy may require that you make the notification within a certain time frame."
  6. Stop more damage. A tarp on a hole in the roof is the example MID gives. Insurance "may not cover additional damage that occurs after the storm."
  7. Then the tree. Call or send the form, and say clearly that the tree is on a structure or a wire.

Your homeowner's insurance

The Mississippi Insurance Department's homeowner pages, checked Nov 11, 2026, set out the parts that matter after a tree falls:

  • A standard policy's "Other Coverages" include "trees and shrubbery." What that pays for depends on your policy, so ask your agent.
  • You're expected to "protect your property against any further damage by making any needed emergency repairs," and to watch for "structural damage, escaping gas, or fallen wires."
  • "Don't have permanent repairs made until your insurance company has inspected the property."
  • If you pay for tree and debris removal, MID urges you to "save receipts so they may be properly reimbursed by their insurance company."
  • Flood damage is "NOT typically included in a homeowner's policy."
  • After big storms, "insurance companies will reach out to those with the worst losses first," so expect a wait if many homes were hit.

Questions about a claim can go to MID's consumer line, 800-562-2957 (checked Nov 11, 2026). Who pays when a neighbor's tree lands on your house, and how much a policy pays for removing a tree that hit nothing, depend on the policy; this site didn't find an official Mississippi source that settles either, so ask your agent.

What storms have done here

Tornadoes, straight-line winds and ice all show up in the National Weather Service and FEMA records for DeSoto County. Each figure below says what area it covers (all checked Nov 11, 2026).

  1. Feb 5, 2008EF-2 from Southaven High School into Memphis

    Touchdown at the high school about 5:32 p.m., then northeast across I-55 with tree and minor roof damage, and EF-2 damage near Stateline Road and Airways Boulevard. Nearly 11 miles long and up to a quarter mile wide, with winds near 130 mph. In Tennessee it struck a warehouse near Clarke Road where three people were killed (NWS Memphis).

  2. Jul 22, 2003The Mid-South derecho

    An NWS Memphis study of the storm nicknamed "Hurricane Elvis" records one direct and six indirect deaths, and more than 750,000 people in the Memphis area without power afterward; a week later, 100,000 were still waiting. The study describes damage mostly across the Memphis metro area, doesn't say where the deaths occurred, and doesn't break out DeSoto County.

  3. Jan 11, 2020Two early-morning tornadoes

    An EF-1 that tracked through Tate and DeSoto counties "crossed Arkabutla Lake and damaged trees and sheds at the Hernando Point Park." Minutes later an EF-2 with winds estimated at 120 mph ran 8.25 miles in DeSoto, strengthening at Craft Road, damaging numerous homes and ending near Bethel Road and I-22. FEMA's DR-4478 covered the county.

  4. Mar 31, 2023EF-2 ending near Horn Lake

    From Tunica County to about 3 miles south-southeast of Horn Lake, 22.87 miles long and 1,200 yards wide, with "consistent damage for over 20 miles, mainly snapped and uprooted trees."

  5. May 18, 2025EF-1 in Hernando

    A narrow tornado with 95 mph winds touched down on Thousand Oaks Drive between Oak Bridge Drive and Jaybird Road, uprooting and snapping trees, while straight-line winds of 80 to 85 mph hit other parts of Hernando.

  6. Jan 23–27, 2026Winter Storm Fern

    FEMA's DR-4899 designated DeSoto County for individual and public assistance. Statewide, MEMA counted outages peaking at about 180,000 and, by Feb 6, 29 storm-related deaths, two of them in DeSoto County; MEMA didn't give causes.

Ice storms are the recurring threat. Mississippi's hazard plan counts 44 winter storm events in DeSoto County from 1996 to 2022, the most of any county in its table, and FEMA's DR-1009 covered the county after the February 1994 ice storm, when nearly 750,000 customers across north Mississippi lost power.

Trees and branches coated in ice along a subdivision street, some limbs bent low and one broken limb on a lawn
Trees and branches coated in ice along a subdivision street, some limbs bent low and one broken limb lying on a lawn.

Damaged, or done for?

Not every storm-hit tree has to go, and not every standing one is safe. MSU Extension's guide to storm-damaged trees, checked Nov 11, 2026, gives a few rules of thumb:

  • "In many cases, the damaged tree will have to be removed and replaced."
  • The same damage weakens a large tree more than a small one.
  • "Trees larger than 4 inches can be difficult to fully straighten," and a large tree pushed over by heavy wind may have lost half or more of its root system.
  • "Removing tree limbs is dangerous work." Hanging limbs over a roof or a yard should be left to someone with the right gear.

For pines bent by ice, MSU's forestry newsletter draws the line this way: "Slightly damaged trees retain a good number of limbs and have stem lean of no more than 45 degrees," while "Severely damaged trees have few remaining limbs or lean greater than 45 degrees." The dead or leaning trees guide covers the warning signs that show up later.

Southaven's tree removal rules exempt trees "injured or destroyed during acts of God" (zoning code Sec. 13-11, checked Nov 11, 2026), so storm damage on a larger Southaven property doesn't wait on the city's notice period. Confirm with the city if you're unsure.

When someone knocks after the storm

After a big storm, people go door to door offering to clear trees. Some are fine. The Mississippi Attorney General's storm guide still says to "Be wary of door-to-door repair solicitations or people who demand deposits or payments in cash" (checked Nov 11, 2026). Its other advice:

  • "Do not pay in full up-front." Where a deposit is required, it "should not exceed 10% or 25% of the total cost of the job."
  • Get a written contract describing the work, a payment schedule based on completed work, and a timeline.
  • "Pay by check or money order and keep a receipt," and "Write all checks to the company, not an individual worker."
  • "Get a guarantee in writing. Do not accept verbal agreements."

Canceling. If you sign at your door, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule generally gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel for a full refund, and Saturdays count as business days. The seller must give you a dated contract and two copies of a cancellation form. Mississippi's Home Solicitation Sales Act gives the same three days for sales on credit. Both have exceptions for emergencies, so emergency work you asked for may not be cancellable (FTC page dated September 2025; Miss. Code §§ 75-66-1 to 75-66-5; checked Nov 11, 2026).

Storm prices and the law

Once a state or local emergency is declared, Mississippi's price-gouging law (Miss. Code § 75-24-25) covers "all goods and services sold within the designated emergency impact area," which includes tree work. Prices can't go above what was ordinarily charged for comparable services in the same market area just before the declaration, plus costs the seller necessarily incurred during the emergency. A knowing, willful violation of $500 or more is a felony punishable by one to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both (FindLaw copy current as of Jan 1, 2025; checked Nov 11, 2026).

Emergency work is still more expensive than planned work, legitimately. National guides put it at $150 to $250 an hour (HomeGuide), "about $2,500" on average for an urgent removal (Forbes Home), $450 to $5,000 (Fixr), and up to $5,000 "in an urgent situation" (Angi), all checked Nov 11, 2026. If a price seems out of line during a declared emergency, the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division takes calls at 1-800-281-4418.

Storm debris

  • Entergy says, "We do not pick up debris from storm damage," and when it cuts a risk tree, "Debris is not cleaned up."
  • The cities don't collect limbs cut by a tree service. Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake and Hernando all say so in their published guidelines. Homeowner-cut limbs within size limits can go to the curb.
  • After Winter Storm Fern, Olive Branch said its Public Works and Fleet Services had "worked around the clock" since the storm arrived. Special storm-debris collections weren't found on any city or county page, so watch your city's announcements after an event.
  • Burning stays off-limits inside DeSoto's cities. In the unincorporated county, the usual same-day permit applies, and Mississippi's environmental agency can approve vegetation-only exceptions after severe weather when a local government declares an emergency and applies (MDEQ open burning fact sheet; checked Nov 11, 2026).

Make sure the written price says what happens to the wood.

Storm questions

A limb is hanging over the service wire to my house. Can a tree crew take it down?

Not until the line is safe. Entergy can disconnect the service line so the owner's contractor can work, and it says it doesn't trim service lines itself (checked Nov 11, 2026). Call Entergy first, then the contractor.

Should I wait for the adjuster before the tree comes off the roof?

Take photos, call the insurance company, and do what's needed to prevent more damage. MID's advice is to hold off on permanent repairs until the insurer has inspected. Ask your insurer whether you should wait to remove the tree itself, and keep every receipt.

A man with a chainsaw wants cash up front to clear my yard today. Is that normal?

The Attorney General's guide warns against exactly that: cash demands, deposits and full payment up front. Get a written contract and pay by check to the company.

Storm calls and forms from this site are routed to one independent DeSoto County contractor. The site has no crews and can't promise when anyone will arrive.

Sources

Got a DeSoto County tree that needs cutting back or taking down?

Phone the number or fill in the short form. It reaches one independent contractor working in Southaven and the towns around it, who comes by to look at the tree and writes up a price for you to consider.

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