The Incidence of Roof Collapse
Each year, there are more than 3,000 roof collapses in the US. Click the states on the map below to learn about some of them. Then, try this: go to your favorite search engine (elibrary.com, altavista.com, iwon.com, askjeeves.com, yahoo.com) and type in "Roof Collapse." You may be surprised at the number of hits!
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Alabama
Gulf Shores - July '97. The heavy rain and winds of Hurricane Danny caused the collapse of the roof on a four-story condo in this seaside community, thirty miles west of Pensacola, Florida. There were no reported injuries in the collapse spawned by this minimal hurricane.
Arizona
Phoenix - August '99. Heavy rain and possible microburst winds were blamed for the collapse of two 15-by-15-foot sections of roof at the Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix. A section of exterior wall also collapsed. Several thousand people were evacuated when the roof above the Pocket Change Arcade and a YMCA child care center at the mall began leaking. The sections fell ten minutes later. No one was injured, but the mall was closed for several days while damage was assessed.Tempe - May '99. Part of the Kmart Store's roof collapsed about 1 p.m. on Tuesday. It came down with an ominous rumble that sent an estimated 100 employees and shoppers scrambling for the door. About 4,800 of the 106,000 sq.ft. roof collapsed, but no one was hurt.
California
Hollywood - February '98. Heavy rain and other storm systems were blamed for causing part of a Hollywood apartment building to collapse. Thirteen people were evacuated.San Diego - June '96. The roof of the Party City store collapsed under the weight of water that spewed from a broken fire hydrant. Twenty-eight people inside managed to escape without injury minutes before the roof came down. Estimates for damage and lost merchandise exceeded $1.3 million.
Colorado
Denver - August '99. Heavy rain was responsible for the partial collapse of a Denver warehouse roof on Tuesday afternoon at about 3:30 p.m. A 20-by-50 foot section came down as a result of the 3.5 inches of rain that deluged the area, ruining almost half of the 500,000 sq.ft. warehouse inventory. Fortunately, since the collapse occurred right at the shift change, no one was injured.
Connecticut
New London - May '98. A portion of the roof on a State Street building that houses several businesses collapsed.
Florida
Miramar - November '98. A shopping center was closed in this Florida city because four to eight inches of rain collapsed a roof in one of its stores. No injuries were reported.
Georgia
Atlanta - August '95. A section of the Georgia Dome roof, overloaded by pooled water, collapsed, damaging 5,000 seats.
Illinois
North Riverside - June '98. A portion of the roof at Dominick's supermarket collapsed, injuring at least nine people, including an 82-year-old shopper who was trapped under the rubble for about two hours. Water on the roof from severe storms the night before appeared to be the cause.Riverside - June '98. Part of a supermarket roof collapsed, injuring 11 people and trapping an 82-year-old woman under the rubble for two hours. The roof was under repair and it was thought that material stored on the roof for its repair caused the collapse.
Indiana
Fishers - January '96. The roof of the Trinity Wesleyan Church collapsed Sunday night, moments after 75 children were evacuated from the gym.
Iowa
Fayette - December '94. The roof of the Uni-Dome at the University of Northern Iowa collapsed on December 7th because of the weight of nearly a foot of snow.
Kansas
Abilene - May '99. Abilene's historic Plaza Theater movie palace was heavily damaged by a Sunday afternoon roof collapse. The structure may have been weakened in a series of violent thunderstorms that struck Abilene more than a week ago. No one was in the building at the time of the collapse and no one was injured.Aggieville - May '98. A blocked drain which caused a pool of water to collect on the roof was thought to have caused the collapse of a 400 square foot section of roof at Varney's Book Store.
Maryland
Clinton - January '96. A nursing home roof caved in and residents were evacuated until the severity of the damage could be assessed.
Massachusetts
Foxboro - January '96. Burdened with heavy snow and ice, the roof of Building #3 of the Foxboro Terminals collapsed, irreparably damaging 176,000 cases of beer placed there in storage by Coors Brewing Co.Whitman - January '96. A plywood awning collapsed over a roller skating rink, injuring four people.
Michigan
Caton - January '99. The weight of more than a foot of snow was blamed for the collapse of a roof at the Golden Gate Shopping Center. Several workers and customers rushed out of the building, but no one was injured.Detroit - January '99. A ten-inch snowfall resulted in a build up of snow, ice and water which then tore an 8-by-38 foot hole in the Silverdome roof. The slushy mixture slid from the top of the roof and came to rest against a beam near an area where the roof is connected to the steel-and-concrete structure.
Minnesota
Genoa Township - November '97. A thick blanket of heavy wet snow was a contributing factor in the roof collapse at the Courtyard by Marriott construction site, where one person was killed and three others were injured.Monticello - February '96. Large amounts of melted snow from this week's warm weather apparently caused the collapse of the roof of the 100-year-old building which houses Max's Discount Store. Two-thirds of the roof collapsed at about 7 a.m. on February 10th; no one was in the building, but the store's inventory was destroyed.
St. Paul - July '97. Rain and flooding apparently caused the roof of an apartment building in the Crocus Hill area of St. Paul to collapse. The collapse caused a refrigerator in one unit to crash through the floor, followed by a woman, who, fortunately, was then rescued.
Missouri
House Springs - January '99. Four people suffered minor injuries from flying debris when a 750 square foot section of the roof at White Oak Lanes bowling alley collapsed. An accumulation of ice and water on the flat metal roof caused the trusses to buckle.Kansas City - July '81. Two suspended walkways in the atrium of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed killing 114 people. The collapse was caused by structural design and construction management mistakes.
New Jersey
Carlstadt - April '94. Three workmen fell 25 feet and were injured Monday when the weather-weakened roof of a warehouse they were fixing collapsed. The collapse occurred when a 30-by-50 foot center section of the roof gave way under the weight of replacement materials.North Arlington - August '99. A man was slightly injured when a 10,000 square foot portion of the roof at AM Cosmetics warehouse collapsed under the weight of torrential rains.
Teaneck - January '96. More than two feet of snow and freezing rain over the last several days were blamed for the collapse, Saturday morning, of the south-side roof of the National Guard Armory here. No serious injuries were reported. This storm was also responsible for the collapse of the Weyerhaeuser Co., paper-distribution warehouse in Closter late Thursday afternoon just after the facility had been shut down for the day. The condemnation of another warehouse in Lyndhurst was prompted by the collapse of that roof and the collapse of a fourth roof structure, a chemical warehouse in Elizabeth which subsequently went up in flames was also caused by the storm.
New York
Bay Shore - February '96. Just half an hour before roofers arrived to fix a sagging roof of a Bay Shore recycling plant, it collapsed yesterday morning under tons of melted snow, killing one worker and injuring two others.Buffalo - January '99. Garages, offices, a bowling alley, numerous buildings, and two dozen bars experienced roof cave-ins as a result of record snowfall.
Fulton City - January '96. Under the weight of tons of snow and ice, the roof of the Philips Street School collapsed into a third floor classroom. The building sustained extensive structural and water damage to the floors directly below the classroom and to an adjacent stairwell. The boiler room in the basement was left with a foot of standing water.
New York City - January '96. The ceiling of St. Philips Episcopal Church collapsed under the weight of heavy wet snow, causing an estimated $1.5 million dollars in damage. No injuries were reported, according to church officials.
New York City - May '98. On May 11th, after twelve straight days of rain, the roof of the 143-year-old St. Monica's Church in Brooklyn collapsed. No one was injured in the incident, but administrators at York College, owners of the building, indicated that the church would now be razed. Extensive plans for restoring the structure have been abandoned.
North Massepequa - January '96. The roof of a Waldbaum's supermarket collapsed under the weight of heavy snow and torrential rain injuring 25 people in checkout lines.
North Syracuse - January '96. The State Education Department warned all New York superintendents to have their buildings checked for the same structural flaws that caused the weekend collapse of a school cafeteria roof here. Fortunately, no one was hurt in that incident.
North Carolina
Wilmington - March '99. On March 24th, the Morning Star of Wilmington, NC reported that a section of the roof of the Dorothea Dix Hospital collapsed. Although no further details were reported at that time, officials did say that the hospital would be repaired.
North Dakota
Valley City - January '97. The collapse of a portion of the roof on the Winter Show building has caused the postponement of that event by about a month. The $2 million rebuilding project will be completed by April 1st and the annual Winter Show will be held between April 17th and April 27th.
Ohio
Dalton - January '99. The weight of snow and ice is blamed for the collapse of the 60-by-200-foot roof of the Neiss Body & Equipment manufacturing facility at about 10 a.m. on January 15th. The eight employees in the building at the time escaped without injury, but the facility is a total loss.Middletown - June '99. A 40-by-70-foot roof section of the Elder-Beerman store at the Towne Mall on Ohio 122 near Interstate 75, a few miles from Cincinnati, collapsed on Saturday, June 13th, sending rain water cascading through the store and a concourse of the mall. Several smaller stores were damaged to varying degrees and as a result, a whole section of the mall was closed for a week. Only minor injuries were sustained by Elder-Beerman employees.
Napoleon - January '99. A snow-covered roof at one of Campbell Soup's largest plants collapsed, injuring five workers. The likely cause of the roof failure was the 16 inches of accumulated snow and ice Northwest Ohio had received in the previous two weeks.
Ontario - January '96. About a third of the roof of a Service Mechandise store collapsed here on January 14th, as reported by town authorities. One person was injured.
Oregon
Gresham - January '98. The Gresham Fire Department reported that two workers were trapped for a time when the Pacific Printworks plant on which they were working collapsed. A large build-up of water and ice that had pooled on the roof was thought to have contributed to the collapse.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia - March '94. 75 Vintage cars were damaged on March 15th when a snow ladened roof in Philadelphia came crashing down.
Tennessee
Nashville - March '98. Three residents of a South Nashville apartment complex received minor injuries yesterday after a pallet of roofing shingles weighing about 2000 pounds crashed through two apartments.
Texas
Grande Prairie - May '99. A 38-year-old man was injured Monday when the roof of a plastics plant collapsed during thunderstorms that also caused flash flooding and power outages. A 50-by-150 foot roof section at the Poly-America plant collapsed at 5:15 p.m. because of the heavy rains. The crew noticed a small split in the ceiling and all of a sudden the roof came down. All were able to escape with the exception of one man trapped in the northeast corner of the plant. His injuries, however, were not life-threatening.Houston - July '95. Heavy rain caused the collapse of a 75-foot section of the roof over the cafeteria at Houston Gardens Elementary School. The cost to replace the failed roof was estimated at $189,000.
North Dallas - August '96. Two inches of rain in one hour contributed to the collapse Tuesday night of an apartment complex roof in North Dallas, forcing up to 60 residents to evacuate. No injuries were reported.
Vermont
Barre - March '99. The warehouse roof of the Vermont Foodbank, which serves thousands of low-income Vermonters, collapsed due to a large build-up of snow and ice, closing the Foodbank and burying a vast amount of food under the rubble.
Virginia
Prince William County - January '96. On Friday, the 13th, authorities closed the Potomac Mills Mall, a huge outlet mall in northern Virginia. The evacuation was ordered when heavy snow caused the roof to sag in several places.Springfield - January '96. Ten to twelve inches of snow and gusting winds apparently caused the roof of the high school gymnasium at the Word of Life Assembly of God Church to collapse. No one was injured.
Washington
Auburn - August '97. A 7,200 square foot center section of the Person's Bowling Lanes collapsed. No one was seriously injured.Bremerton - December '96. Three days of mushy snow and ice caused serious damage or roof collapse for 24 area businesses, apartment buildings, a high school, and a library.
Port Edwards - December '96. The weight of a week's worth of snow and frozen rain caused 17 roofs to collapse at the Port Edmond's marina north of Seattle, sinking about 270 of the 400 boats moored inside. The second major storm in less than a week dumped two feet of snow and frozen rain on the area.
Seattle - December '96. More than two feet of snow were blamed for the collapse of a motel roof which trapped 20 people inside the structure for about an hour. While chainsaws were needed to set them free, no one was seriously injured.
West Virginia
Beckley County - January '98. After nearly four feet of heavy, wet snow fell in under two weeks, some 90 commercial and institutional roofs collapsed. Six people died and many more were injured.
Wisconsin
Poynette - May '98. 1-1/2 inches of rain in 45 minutes caused the roof over the municipal building to come crashing in. A blocked drain was reportedly the cause. Four people in the municipal offices at the time narrowly escaped injury.
Canada
Edmonton - January '99. A build up of snow and ice was blamed for the 3,500 sq.ft. roof collapse of the building which housed Maximum Diesel, Ltd. Two mechanics working in the facility when the roof came down were fortunate to escape without injury.Greenfield Park, Quebec - September '98. 23 people were injured when a major section of the bowling alley collapsed shortly before noon. There were about 175 people in the facility at the time. Government inspectors were searching for an explanation of why the roof fell, but the reason was not readily apparent. All the injured were taken to the hospital, mostly with head, neck and back injuries, but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
Montreal - January '98. Sixty-three fiberglass panels from the roof of Montreal's Olympic stadium collapsed sending tons of snow and ice through the roof, injuring five workers preparing for an international car show.
Montreal - January '99. A 3,700 sq.ft. panel of the Olympic Stadium roof collapsed on Monday, injuring five people, none seriously. About 200 other people were inside the building preparing for an auto show at the time of the incident. Tons of snow and ice came crashing through the gaping hole in the roof and onto the stadium floor. It was fortunate that a number of people weren't seriously injured or killed in the incident.
St. Thomas, Ontario - January '99. 35 people were working the night shift at Brass Craft Canada, Ltd. when a 5,700 sq.ft. section of the roof caved in. Five workers in the area saw the ceiling heater move and got out of the way. No one was hurt, but some of the workers were quite shaken. The section of the roof that fell was lower than other sections and it was believed that snow and ice may have drifted in that area.
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