Updated October 17, 2026. This is general guidance, not an inspection. A limb you are worried about should be looked at in person.
Walk around a Destin yard after Hurricane Isaias and you may spot a broken limb that never reached the ground. It snapped, slid down and caught in the branches below, and now it hangs there over the driveway, the walkway or the back door. Tree crews call these hangers, and plenty of people call them widowmakers. They are the part of storm damage that is easy to forget because nothing is lying on the ground.
Why a hung-up limb can fall days later
A hanging limb is only held by whatever it snagged on. Wind can shift it. A branch it rests on can give way. Wet wood gets heavier. Okaloosa County's emergency updates carry the same warning: hanging tree limbs "can become dislodged and cause a hazard while working in your yard to clean up debris, or fall on your home, vehicle." The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) says in its storm damage brochure that broken limbs hanging overhead "may continue to move during and after the storm has passed."
That is why the limb that looked stable on Saturday can come down on Wednesday with nobody near it, or with someone mowing underneath.
What to do right now
- Stay out of the drop zone. Do not stand, park or work under a hung-up limb, and do not walk the dog beneath it.
- Do not pull on it. Tugging on a limb or yanking a rope tied to it can bring the whole thing down on you. ISA also warns that limbs under tension can react unexpectedly when cut or moved.
- Do not climb or use a ladder. ISA lists working at height, retrieving tree parts from structures and running cutting equipment as inherently dangerous work.
- Keep kids and pets away. Block off the area with caution tape, a chair or anything else that keeps people from wandering under it.
- Check for wires. If the limb or the tree touches a line, stay back and call your electric utility. Okaloosa County's emergency page says not to cut trees resting on power lines.
- Photograph it from a safe spot. Get the limb, the tree it hangs in and what sits underneath, with the date. Those photos help with insurance and with describing the job on the phone.
Which cases are urgent
Call Josh at (850) 888-5603 soon if:
- the limb hangs over a house, a car, a play area, a driveway or a path you use every day;
- it is large, or it moves when the wind blows;
- it is caught in a tree that is also leaning or cracked at the base;
- it is touching or close to a wire (call the utility first);
- you cannot keep people out from under it.
Which cases can wait a little
A small hanger in a back corner, over ground nobody uses, is less pressing. Rope it off, keep everyone clear and get it looked at when you can. If you are unsure which pile yours belongs in, call and describe it.
Does the city handle some of these?
Sometimes. The City of Destin's hurricane debris notice says its debris contractor "will also address eligible hazardous leaning trees and hanging limbs as part of the recovery effort." The notice does not say what counts as eligible, so call Destin Public Works at 850-837-6869 to ask if yours does. If the city's crew will not take it, or you cannot wait, that is a private tree service job. Our guide to leaning or cracked trees after a hurricane covers the signs of a tree that may fail next.
When a limb already landed on the house
If a limb or a whole tree is already on the roof, the steps are different. Read what to do when a tree falls on your house in Destin. If the tree came from next door, see who pays when a neighbor's tree falls on your house.
How a crew takes a hanger down
Josh looks at what the limb is caught on and what else could move once it is freed. A climber goes up, secures the limb and cuts it in controlled pieces, lowering each one on rigging lines instead of letting it drop. Josh cuts and moves the debris to the road. Haul-off happens only on big jobs, through a sub he hires, quoted separately. Our debris pickup guide has the pickup rules for each city and county. The Destin storm cleanup page covers our Emerald Coast storm work.
FAQ
What is a widowmaker?
It is a broken limb, or sometimes a dead or cracked one, still hanging in a tree. The name comes from the harm they can do when they drop without warning.
Can I knock a hanging limb down myself?
We do not recommend it. A limb that looks stuck can release in any direction, and the person pulling on it is the one standing under it. Call Josh at (850) 888-5603 and describe what you see.
How long can a limb hang before it falls?
There is no safe number of days. ISA says broken limbs hanging overhead can keep moving after the storm has passed, so treat any hanger as live until it is down.
Limbs hanging over your house, driveway or yard in Destin? Call Josh at (850) 888-5603.