Home Roof Collapses Uncommon

A dance school roof collapse in Gladstone, Missouri Thursday night highlighted a common concern when snow and ice come in large quantities. But mid-Missouri roofers and contractors said such collapses are rare and, more often, people get injured trying to remove snow from their roofs.”There is a danger because you might be creating a small avalanche and knock yourself off a ladder,” said Midwest Renovation LLC’s Ron Edwards. “And with even 1/10th of an inch of ice up there, you’re going to fall off.”With snow totals from Thursday topping eight inches in parts of the area and an expected six inches more coming Monday night, some homes could have almost a foot and a half of snow on their shingles. Government numbers show two feet of snow can add 38,000 pounds, or 19 tons, to an average roof.Edwards says most modern homes are built to withstand huge snowfall totals before starting to buckle.”If we start having snow that’s piling up four to five feet on top of a roof, then the stress loads become a little bit more questionable,” he said.Bottom line, he said, any attempt to remove snow or ice from a roof by yourself can be dangerous. Most contractors in the area will offer a free inspection and have the critical safety equipment to stay safe on the shingles.