Roofs collapse under Buffalo snow

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By CAROLYN THOMPSON

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Roofs began to creak and collapse and homeowners struggled to clear waist-high drifts atop their houses Thursday as another storm brought the Buffalo area's three-day snowfall total to an epic 7 feet or more.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo begged drivers "pretty, pretty please" to stay off slippery, car-clogged roads in western New York while crews tried to dig out. Some areas got close to 3 feet of new snow by Thursday afternoon.

Things could quickly get worse: Rain and temperatures as high as 60 were forecast over the weekend, raising the specter of flooding and an even heavier load on roofs, where the snow could absorb the downpours like a blanket.

More than 50 people were evacuated from several mobile home parks in suburban Cheektowaga and West Seneca because roofs were buckling. Bellevue Fire Department Lt. Timothy Roma said more than a dozen buildings and carports collapsed, as did a metal warehouse operated by a Christmas decorations company, where damage was estimated in the millions.

FULL story at link.



Tom Mudd clears snow from the roof of his house on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, in Cheektowaga, N.Y. A new blast of lake-effect snow pounded Buffalo for a third day piling more misery on a city already buried by an epic, deadly snowfall that could leave some areas with nearly 8 feet of snow on the ground when it's all done. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141120/us-wintry-weather-229d65fa96.html

[jakeXT]

1. .

[valerief]

2. Those poor people. I was worried about their roofs. nt

[In_The_Wind]

3. I doubt my roof could hold up under the weight of 7 feet of snow.

[Renew Deal]

5. And then rain

It has the makings for a disaster. I'm not sure water could even get to a drain if the drain was clear.

[starroute]

7. And the possibility of more snow after that

I expect to see it declared a federal disaster area reasonably shortly.

[In_The_Wind]

14. A roof-rake would help to lighten the load.

The news was showing a vent on someone's roof blocked by snow. They were out of heat for two days.

[jwirr]

4. Not surprised. One of the first things we do in MN after a big snow is pull it down off of the roofs

The flood part really scares me - so much damage. Sorry for all the people experiencing this.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. Careful!!!

[jakeXT]

8. It worked ... did he wear ski boots on a ladder ?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. Couldn't tell, even when he was flipped upside down.

[Odin2005]

13. That was awesome!

[freshwest]

9. Oh, wow, a one-two punch. Stay safe and warm if you can, folks!

[PeoViejo]

10. Using a wire to remove Snow

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. They've had snow removal tools forever....

Bottom line, flat roofs and heavy snow don't mix.

That's why the Swiss often have roofs at a 45 degree angle.

[TwilightGardener]

11. What misery. I predict that come March or April, there's going to be

a shortage of UHauls and Mayflower moving trucks in the region.

[Odin2005]

12. Stay safe all you folks in up-state NY!

On a different note, does anyone else think Cuomo saying "pretty, pretty please" make him sound pathetic? He's a LEADER, he doesn't need to be saying "pretty please". Par for the course for a spineless DLCer.

[TheBlackAdder]

16. Years back, on A-Frame Roofs - I've heard of guys placing kerosene / space heaters in the attic.

I wouldn't leave them unattended, but the premise is to heat the roof from the inside to create a water layer and possible some water vapor between the shingles and the snow to allow the snow to slide off the roof.

I don't know if it works, but I've heard folks say that, when I went to school in Nashua, NH.