Roofs collapse under Buffalo snow
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
valerief
(53,235 posts)In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)Renew Deal
(81,894 posts)It has the makings for a disaster. I'm not sure water could even get to a drain if the drain was clear.
starroute
(12,977 posts)I expect to see it declared a federal disaster area reasonably shortly.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)The news was showing a vent on someone's roof blocked by snow. They were out of heat for two days.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)The flood part really scares me - so much damage. Sorry for all the people experiencing this.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)jakeXT
(10,575 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)PeoViejo
(2,178 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Bottom line, flat roofs and heavy snow don't mix.
That's why the Swiss often have roofs at a 45 degree angle.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)a shortage of UHauls and Mayflower moving trucks in the region.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)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
(28,242 posts)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.