No building is safe from the incredible stress of several
feet of snow that has piled up on roofs across the Attleboro area and the rest
of New England, and things are expected to get worse before they get better.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has received
74 reports of roof collapses, partial collapses or major structural problems
since Feb. 9, spokesman Chris Besse said.
In North Attleboro, what initially was thought to be a
partial roof collapse Wednesday at Artcraft Co. at 200 John Dietsch Blvd.
turned out to be gutters weighed down with snow that came crashing down.
The snow-clogged gutters did sever an exterior gas line,
however.
The building was evacuated shortly after 3:30 p.m. when a
strong smell of gas was reported.
Gas was shut off to the building, and it was deemed safe to
occupy about 45 minutes later, Fire Chief Ted Joubert said.
Earlier, two people at the Auto Zone on East Washington
Street in North Attleboro reported becoming sick from an odor inside the store.
One was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Joubert said.
The gas odor was caused when a rooftop heating and
ventilation unit became blocked by snow, the chief said. The store was allowed
to reopen in the afternoon.
And in Norton, part of the interior ceiling caved in at
Patty's Place restaurant on Route 123 about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when the
restaurant was closed and only the owner was present.
"Some water was captured in the ceiling and puddled up
and collapsed the ceiling inside the restaurant," fire Capt. Benton Keene
said.
The town's assistant building inspector and health agent
ordered the business closed to customers until repairs can be made.
"I expect we'll hear of a lot more once the weather
starts to warm up," said Garrick Goldenberg, a professor of structural
engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
That could come as soon as this weekend, when the
temperature is expected to reach into the mid-40s Sunday. A snowstorm predicted
to begin Saturday night is forecast to turn to ice and rain Sunday, sparking
concerns of more roof problems.
In the meantime, repeated snowstorms have compacted snow
already on roofs, gradually turning it into ice, which weighs about eight times
more, Goldenberg said.
A cubic foot of snow that weighs about 8 pounds becomes a
64-pound cubic foot block of ice, he said.
"Obviously, if you think the roof is about to collapse,
get out and call 911, don't try to investigate on your own," Massachusetts
Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Gatzunis said.
Goldenberg said it's not building codes that are inadequate,
but maintenance.
"As soon as the snow stops, the best way to deal with
it is to remove it immediately," he said.
Even pitched roofs are not safe under the stress of piles of
snow. Homes and garages have been damaged.
Worried homeowners are scrambling now to get roofs cleaned
in anticipation of the weekend storm.
In Foxboro, homeowner Todd Jarvis got some welcome help.
"Thank God for these guys,' said Jarvis, who was
injured in a fall from the roof of his one-story home last year and relied on
relative Chris Cunniff and son Christopher Cunniff to shovel off his roof.
Foxboro school Business Manager Bill Yukna and staff are
carefully monitoring snow loads and distribution of the snow. So far, he said,
high winds have blown some snow off roofs or away from the open areas above
gyms and auditoriums.
"Most of the buildup is where rooflines come together,
and that's structurally strong," he said, but the possibility of rain
predicted for a messy mix this weekend is a concern.