Yes, this is a branch. The tree is still standing!
The good news is that all of the Rubin Rodeo survived Hurricane Irene. It was a scary few hours huddling in bed listening to the rains and the winds. Around 5am, a loud CRUNCH shook the house, we had been hit. Shortly after, another loud slam, this one more metallic in nature, had us spooked enough to evacuate to a neighbors basement for the rest of the storm.
Once the sun came up, we saw that one of our giant white pines had let go of a giant branch into our driveway and onto our roof. We learned later in the day that the metallic crunch we heard was our neighbors gas grill that was taken out by one of our trees in the back yard.
We didn’t sustain major damage, but the branch did a good job shattering a skylight in our kitchen. We soon learned that the hole in the roof and the shattered skylight is NOT covered by our homeowners insurance. Why on earth would it not be covered, you ask? That’s because as of last year, Met Life and many many other insurance companies in the area changed their policies. Storm damage from hurricanes is no longer covered. We do have a rider to cover damage from hurricanes, but we have to hit the pesky $14,000 deductible first.
Doesn't look too bad, but the skylight is shattered.....$$$$
Insurance companies are no dummies. They are corporations whose top priority is delivering a profit to their shareholders. Clearly the insurance gang has been paying attention to climatologists who have been saying that global warming will create more frequent and intense storms, like hurricanes. As a result, they are just covering their bets properly. They understand that climate change is real and its here.
Now if only I could get my neighbors and my community to understand that we must change our ways and look to live a lower carbon future. What will it take? More storms? More crop damage? Perhaps some food shortages?
