What should I do first after a haboob?

Check for downed power lines before anything else and call APS or SRP if you see one. Then photograph the damage from several angles before moving anything.

Should I clean up before the insurance company sees it?

Photograph everything first, then ask your insurer whether they want to inspect. Once debris is hauled away the evidence is gone.

Is a haboob the same as a monsoon storm?

A haboob is the dust wall pushed ahead of a collapsing thunderstorm. It is part of a monsoon storm rather than a separate event, and it arrives before the rain.

How long do I have to clear storm debris?

If you are in an HOA, usually 10 to 14 days from the date on a violation notice. Otherwise there is no deadline, and waiting three to seven days is often cheaper.

What to Do After a Haboob | Phoenix Dust Storm Cleanup

Check for downed power lines before you do anything else.
Not the roof, not the yard, not the car. Lines first.

If you can see a line down, or a tree resting against one, stay well away and
call APS or SRP. They attend free and fast. No cleanup crew in the Valley can
legally start work until they have released the site, and neither should you.

Then, in order

1. Look up before you walk under anything

The dangerous thing after a haboob is usually not on the ground. It is the
limb that is broken but still hanging, the panel half off the carport, the tile
lifted at the roof edge. Walk the perimeter looking upwards before you start
moving debris.

2. Photograph everything, before you touch it

This is the step people skip and regret. Once the debris is cleared the
evidence is gone — for your insurer, for your HOA, and for any
conversation with a neighbour about whose tree it was.

Wide shots from two or three directions
Each damaged item close up
Anything that touched the house — roof, wall, window, gutter
The debris itself, before it is moved

Your phone records the date automatically, which is the part that makes the
photos useful later.

3. Check the roof from the ground

Do not climb up. Look for lifted tiles, displaced flashing, and fronds or
branches sitting in valleys where they will block the next rain. If something
has clearly hit the roof, that is a roofer’s job, not a cleanup crew’s.

4. Check drains and scuppers

Dust and debris block drainage, and the rain usually follows the dust within
the hour. A blocked scupper turns the next twenty minutes of rain into standing
water against your foundation.

5. Call your insurer before hauling structural damage away

For debris alone, clear it whenever you like. For a damaged carport, fence,
shed or anything that hit the house, ask first — some insurers want to
inspect before removal, and hauling it away first can complicate a claim.

What not to do

Do not cut a limb that is under tension. A branch held up by
a fence or another tree moves violently when released.
Do not drag palm fronds bare-handed. The spines go through
gardening gloves.
Do not go on the roof. Post-storm roof falls are common and
the debris will still be there tomorrow.
Do not move debris twice. If you are getting it hauled,
leave the pile where it fell.

When to hurry, and when not to

Hurry if: access is blocked, a gate or door will not open,
something is resting on a structure, or you are holding an HOA notice with a
date on it.

Do not hurry if: the yard is a mess but nothing is unsafe.
Cleanup costs across the Valley are highest in the first 48 hours after a storm
because every crew is booked at once. Waiting a few days usually costs
noticeably less for identical work.

Need it cleared? Text photos to 623-263-5172 with your suburb. Wide shot, the access route, and close-ups of anything heavy is enough for a price the same day.