The weight of the snow that's still falling may exceed the safety parameters of many building roofs in the area. This may be especially true of flat roofs, particularly those of structures like older mobile homes.
How can you tell if your structure is threatened? Go HERE for some warning signs and remedies. Remember, if the warning signs point to imminent or even possible roof collapse, the first thing you should think about is leaving the building to avoid injury or death. Stuff can be replaced. You can't.
Additional information (11:50 a.m.):
The weight of wet snow (the kind we've had for the last 18 hours) is between 14-21 pounds per cubic foot. As we've received about 12 inches, every square foot you see has about a cubic foot of packed snow below it. So, if you have a roof that's 12 x 30 feet, the weight of the snow up there is between 5040 and 7560 pounds. That's between two and a half and four tons for that area.
If you live in a manufactured/mobile home, which are at particular risk today, you should be able to find out what the roof load limits are for your home. There should be a manufacturer's information plate in your home, usually located affixed to a wall near your fusebox or utility space. It should give you the numbers you need. If your roof is currently overloaded, it might be time to consider doing something about it, including vacating the premises until something is done about it.
They better check the Sheriff's office roof asap!
ReplyDeleteI just heard of a chicken house collapse.
ReplyDeleteNow that we're up to 18 inches of snow, make that estimate between 7560 and 11340 pounds for a 12x30 foot roof (360 square feet).
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of weight, and the snow's still coming.
5:32
ReplyDeleteWow.
That's like parking 3 or 4 Cadillac Escalades on the roof.
Reports of roofs collapsing on WBOC news at 7.
ReplyDelete14 to 21 pounds per square foot is well within typical code requirement for snow loads on a roofs. Contemporary building codes require 45 to 50 pounds per square foot for snow loads.
ReplyDeleteI use to build houses for a living on the other side of the bay.
If the building in question was not built to these requirement you may have a problem.
Sand Box John