Town Officials Monitoring Roofs After Snowfall

The above-average snowfall this winter has led to several roof collapses around the state in the past week, but North Reading officials are confident that the town’s buildings are safe.

Jim DeCola, the town’s building inspector, said he is monitoring the roofs on municipal buildings, but everything appears safe at this point.

Workers have not gone up on town buildings to shovel snow from roofs yet, DeCola said, although officials are keeping a close eye on the situation. The roof at has approximately 16 inches of snow on it, but the roof is about two years old and has a slight pitch to it, so it is of less concern than other structures, DeCola said.

“It’s certainly something to be concerned about,” DeCola said. “It’s the flat roofs you really have to worry about.”

workers will begin clearing snow from the roofs of the modular classrooms at the town’s schools Thursday, said Wayne Hardacker, the school district’s supervisor of buildings and grounds.

Those roofs are designed to hold between 35-40 pounds per square foot, Hardacker said. A cubic foot of light, fluffy snow weights approximately 5.2 pounds, so three cubic feet of snow on the roof would weigh approximately 15.6 pounds, Hardacker said.

“I’m confident we’re in the safe range,” he said. “We’re trying to do as much proactively as we can to keep these schools safe.”

Hardacker said he will monitor the main school buildings and will begin snow-removal operations on those roofs if necessary.

Peabody schools were closed Thursday to allow workers to remove snow from the school roofs in that city, reported. According to The Boston Globe, at least 44 buildings and structures, mostly flat-roofed commercial buildings, have failed this week, including a building in Easton and an airport hanger in Norwood.

Hardacker said one architect recently told him that some structured that have failed may have had preexisting deficiencies that were not addressed.

"I'm confident we are in fine shape, and there is no reason to have concern right now," Hardacker said. "We're always concerned about anything to do with school safety."

DeCola said he cannot remember a roof failing in North Reading due to snow. Several years ago, he and the North Reading Fire Department had to close the former Star Market at 265 Main St. for a day because snow and ice blocked roof drains and caused water to pour in through the ceiling at the store’s entrances, DeCola said.

DeCola recommends that residential homeowners hire professional roofers to clear snow from their roofs for safety reasons.

The state sent municipalities an advisory on preventing roof collapses on Thursday, DeCola said. Some of those tips include:

• If not cleared off, snow piled high on roofs can act as a sponge, absorbing any rain, adding additional stress to structures. According to the National Weather Service, a storm could bring a mix of snow and sleet to the area Saturday.
• Relatively flat roofs are particularly vulnerable.
• In many other cases, roof ice dams have formed causing water build-up, leading to interior damage.
• Be on the alert for large accumulating snow build-up or snowdrifts.
• If roof snow can be removed or ice dams broken up safely from the ground with the use of a snow rake (available at most hardware stores), do so.
• Avoid working from ladders, as ladder rungs tend to ice up, snow and ice collect on boot soles, and metal ladders and snow rakes conduct electricity if they come into contact with a power line.
• Protective headgear and eye protection is recommended.
• Flat roofs can be shoveled clear, but only if it is determined that the roof is safe to stand upon. Exercise care when on the roof to avoid potentially dangerous falls.
• Flat roof drainage systems should be kept clear to minimize the risk of excess roof ponding in the event of subsequent heavy rainfall or melting.
• Large icicles can form on roof overhangs, but do not necessarily mean ice damming is occurring. Icicles overhanging walkways can be dangerous and should be carefully removed.
• All of the above actions should only be performed by able-bodied adults. The snow is heavy, and roofs and other surfaces may be slippery.