by Bridget ♥
Member since:
September 18, 2006

Roofs are collapsing under the pressure

January 01, 2009 03:41 PM EST
views: 138 | comments: 52

It's TERRIBLE.  There are roofs collapsing all around us!  Homes, carports, garages, barns, businesses and more!  There is SO much snow and it's so heavy that many structures just can't handle the weight and they care caving in!

The roofes of several major businesses have caved in.  Luckily nobody has been hurt ... YET!  I'm sure it's only a matter of time though. 

  • Boat Storage facility collapsed under the heavy weight of snow.
  • A large section of the roof at the Ice Arena collapsed late Monday night.

We know how our house is built, built the majority of it ourselves.  So, we know that it's sturdy.  However, we just can't take the risk --- hubby is up on the roof shoveling, has been for 5 hours now!  Chandler was even up there for a little while helping Daddy, he thought that was SO cool!

We have NEVER let Chandler on the roof before, but we felt safe enough today.  It's only a couple foot drop to the snow below! LOL!

We already have over 4' of standing snow, there is no fence and we have to keep the dogs inside so they dont wander off.  If they go outside, we have to go out to watch them.  We are expecting ANOTHER 12" - 24" of snow by Friday afternoon.  We are under another storm warning as well for severe winter weather.
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Comments: 52

Jessica S. Jan 1, 2009, 3:42pm EST
omg! scary! i hope it melts soon! here's to spring coming!!!!
Lee P. Jan 1, 2009, 3:45pm EST
Wow, I think I would move to a warmer climate. LOL Of course that's a silly thing to say because you live where you live for a reason and it's home. I think you're dong a wise thing by lessening the snow weight on the roof. Hope it warms up soon for you.

Happy New Year.
Not a bad idea at all. In Michigan, you rarely see a flat roof- the steeper the roof, the better, because of the snow fall. When you do see a flat roof, you can almost guarantee that'll have problems with it every single winter due to the snow.
Sue * Jan 1, 2009, 3:46pm EST
Be careful. I'm sitting here counting my blessings I'm not where you are. We are cold...but, no snow right now.
Peter Joseph Swanson Jan 1, 2009, 3:47pm EST
Yikes !!!
♠~Dnbuster~♠ ~. Jan 1, 2009, 3:47pm EST
wow, how scary!!
stay safe.
R B Jan 1, 2009, 3:53pm EST
Roof shoveling can be an additional chore in areas of heavy snow. Drifting doesn't help either. Hope it doesn't all melt at once.
Karen R. Jan 1, 2009, 3:59pm EST
That makes me glad I live in Arizona where it doesn't snow.
tammie p. Jan 1, 2009, 4:01pm EST
how terrible. that is really scary
Monica H. Jan 1, 2009, 4:02pm EST
That is probably a great idea for your husband to get the roof cleared off just in case. That would be horrible to have your roof collapse.
CyberGwen ! Jan 1, 2009, 4:04pm EST
Cannonballs off the roof anyone?

Seriously though, be careful, that is scary and I hope that it lets up for you guys soon.
Brian T. Jan 1, 2009, 4:05pm EST
OMG! I'm sorry to hear the news.
Donna S. Jan 1, 2009, 4:05pm EST
Man, makes me more and more glad I live in FL....we just have the hurricanes to deal with..ugh..
Nora Davenport Jan 1, 2009, 4:07pm EST
Wow, that would be just terrible! That's an incredible amount of snow.....makes me glad to be living in Iowa....we do have snow, but not nearly that much! Hope you'll get a melting spree pretty soon.
Jamie C. Jan 1, 2009, 4:11pm EST
And you're expecting more snow?! Holy cow!
That's why you have to have a roof rake, to get that snow off the roof.
Janie E. Jan 1, 2009, 4:20pm EST
How scary!!!! Take care out there!!!
Vic Needs Coffee Jan 1, 2009, 4:21pm EST
Yikes! Good idea to start shoveling it off.
Larry H. Jan 1, 2009, 4:33pm EST
WE HAD TO SHOVEL THE SNOW OFF OUR ROOF ONE WINTER. NOT A FUN THEN TO HAVE TO DO.HAVE TO BE REAL CAREFUL NOT THE POKE A HOLE IN THE ROOF.
tomi r. Jan 1, 2009, 4:53pm EST
Wow! Good luck and I hope it clears soon.
Ellie !. Jan 1, 2009, 5:22pm EST
It got worse here when it started melting and raining. Part of one of the marina's sank ... yesterday part of the roof at Portland International Airport was starting to collapse! Your hubby is smart to shovel it off. We have a VERY steep roof, but our problem was ice-filled gutters from the freezing rain...
Lin B. Jan 1, 2009, 5:46pm EST
My thoughts and warm wishes for you and your family,
Carla B. Jan 1, 2009, 5:46pm EST
We've had a lot more snow fall here this year, too. We haven't needed to get up on our roof and clear it, but houses that don't have roofs as steep as ours have been having problems here, too.

We probably have about 3 feet of snow right now. That's not that much for some places but it is A LOT for here now (back in the 1970's and before, that was pretty common here from what I hear).
Sandy (back in Ohio...blah!) Jan 1, 2009, 5:54pm EST
Your husband is smart to shovel the snow. Have you thought of adding that stuff you throw down on sidewalks to keep snow off after he is down? Please forgive me , I can't remember the name of it since it has been so long that I lived in a snow area.
Phyllis R. Jan 1, 2009, 6:01pm EST
Bridget, I thought about you while looking at the weather in your state yesterday!!! This is horrible....please know you, your family, friends and the other residents have been and still are in my thoughts and prayers!!!! Living in SC all my life, hating the cold and snow as badly as I do I just can not imagine this much snow!
Michelle W. Jan 1, 2009, 6:08pm EST
Wow. We haven't seen anything more than a slight flurry and that was blowing off the mountains.
Beth - Doing God's work Daily J. Jan 1, 2009, 6:14pm EST
That is scary.. Hope you all are safe.
Jennifer N. Jan 1, 2009, 6:21pm EST
Yikes! We have a flat roofed home and have never had any issues. We had over 100 inches of snow last winter and this year we are up to 40 inches already!
Mrslisae Photography E. Jan 1, 2009, 7:49pm EST
LOL about Chandler on the roof, that's crazy to we Southern folk, just unimaginable
DesertDarlene L. Jan 1, 2009, 7:50pm EST
Wow, and those roofs were designed for snow, too.
Sarah (I want points) Jan 1, 2009, 8:18pm EST
That's horrible! I hope everything goes okay. I can't believe you are having to shovel the roof.
Nurse Nancy S. Jan 1, 2009, 9:26pm EST
Geesh!! That is awful! Good luck to you and your family.
Brittney R. Jan 1, 2009, 10:44pm EST
No, No, No! I have officially decided I will never, ever move any farther north. Ever. I absolutely cannot imagine the idea of more than 3 or 4 inches of snow. I've only seen it one time in my life (we had several inches when I was in elementary school, but I barely remember it) and I don't wish to see it again.

I don't like cold, and I don't like snow. It's pretty to look at, but I don't want to live in it.
Carol Lloyd Jan 1, 2009, 10:45pm EST
Happy New Year
Debby O. Jan 2, 2009, 12:08am EST
Wow! This was us last winter! We have been pretty lucky so far this winter
Heather B. Jan 2, 2009, 12:22am EST
Not living in a snowy area, I had no idea what you all have to deal with. Sounds adventurous.
Janet "Jax" B. Jan 2, 2009, 1:21am EST
You're more than welcome to send the snow my way.
William Dotani Jan 2, 2009, 4:00am EST
This is horrible. I hope repairs can quickly be made.
lea and... c. Jan 2, 2009, 8:39am EST
The only solution I can think of for the future is one to change the building codes for the trusses but also use radiant heat pipe that run hot water under the roof to melt the snow and prevent it from accumulating. A system just for the roof would not be too expensive and could be set up with electric or solar power to heat the water. You could also use it for baths and save on energy.
Wilma M. Jan 2, 2009, 9:03am EST
Did you hear about that elderly lady in Rockford who died when the snow fell on her? She had been out shoveling.

Saw an article last night online that snow plow crews are worried about kids making forts in the snow berms and then maybe being injured when a plow comes around again.

BTW, it's snowing hard right now at my house.
Dagmara H. Jan 2, 2009, 6:31pm EST
that sure is scary
Bridget ♥ Jan 2, 2009, 9:14pm EST
I DID hear about that wilma, it's awful!

Scary about the kids, WOW!

Snowing at our house too - UGH! :)
Elle L. Jan 3, 2009, 1:09am EST
That is so scary! Be careful.
☃ Aunt Shanny Jan 3, 2009, 9:37am EST
My fiance is so paranoid about this happening that he constantly cleans off the roof. Luckily, this year the rain and warm weather has been keeping it cleaned off.

Unfortunately, this year we worry about flooding :(
DiAnA D. Jan 4, 2009, 8:08pm EST
just think of all the moisture once it melts! Here's hoping spring comes soon!!
donna h. Jan 4, 2009, 8:28pm EST
wow
Victoria H. Jan 4, 2009, 9:35pm EST
My goodness!! That's crazy! I don't blame you one bit for being cautious!
tina t. Jan 5, 2009, 6:53am EST
be careful thats a lotof snow.
Alex In Wonderland Jan 5, 2009, 12:24pm EST
ahhhh I could never be up on our roof shoveling- it is too steep!

A few years ago we had snow bad enough to collapse a few roofs. It wasn't a lot though. Mostly just houses that weren't being taken care of properly. Snow like that doesn't happen to us until February or March.
Netty B. Jan 6, 2009, 1:59pm EST
Oh wow!
JoAnne D. Jan 7, 2009, 1:23pm EST
We have it easy compared to you. There was a two hour school delay today though, freezing rain. The roads were very slushy but they cleared up considerably during those two hours.
JoAnne D. Jan 7, 2009, 1:24pm EST
The less travelled snow areas have an glassy ice coating that looks beautiful though.

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