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Affirming the Covenant

While the wind howled outside like screams pulled from hell as Superstorm Sandy descended, I was struck by a strange thoughtthe same one Id wager many Staten Islanders had.

By Shawn Moynihan | Updated on October 01, 2013
While the wind howled outside like screams pulled from hell as Superstorm Sandy descended, I was struck by a strange thought—the same one I’d wager many Staten Islanders had.

Thank God it’s not raining, I thought to myself. This wind is bad enough. The trees can’t take it.

A tree-lined street, as anyone will tell you, is no place to live during times of inclement weather. But it became alarmingly apparent rather quickly that this was no ordinary storm. And the huge sycamores that lend so much beauty to my neighborhood aren’t equally known for their durability. In the lightest wind and rainstorm, large falling branches will pose a threat to residents’ cars and homes. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve parked on an adjacent block just to put my car out of harm’s way.

Mitigating risk, of course, is like that. It’s all calculation, playing the odds. And it wouldn’t have been a fool’s bet that the huge branch that hangs over the front of the house, above the room of my then 2-year-old son, was going to give—and take out a sizable portion of the roof in the process.

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Shawn Moynihan

Shawn Moynihan

Shawn Moynihan is Editor-in-Chief of National Underwriter Property & Casualty. A St. John’s University alum, Moynihan has earned 11 Jesse H. Neal Awards, the Pulitzers of the business press; seven Azbee Awards, from the American Society of Business Press Editors; two Folio Awards; and a SABEW award, from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers. Prior to joining ALM, he served as Managing Editor/Online Editor of journalism institution Editor & Publisher, the trade bible of the newspaper industry. Moynihan also has held editorial positions with AOL, Metro New York, and Newhouse Newspapers. He can be reached at [email protected].

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