Roofer Madness: State Kept Busy By Collapses, Damage

Roofs across Connecticut were buckling, bending and even collapsing under the weight of the accumulated snow last week, sending folks scrambling out into the streets and public officials up high to inspect.

Most at risk were large flat roofs. Gov. Dannel Malloy issued a strong recommendation that officials inspect every municipal roof, and that residents clear their own.

Waterford Patch’s Blue-Thumbed Builder offered great tips on roof clearing.

In Westport, the abandoned former home of the Cedar Brook Cafe on 919 Post Road E. suffered a roof collapse. Nobody was injured. In Norwalk, there were , which included a horse barn, two garages and a commercial building.

New Haven County was the hardest hit, with roof collapses in Bethany, including a that resulted in horses being trapped and injured, and a that was full of workers at the time. In Somers, one horse had to be euthanized after a .

In , a roof of a church and three other buildings succumbed during the week. A barn at the in Hamden also fell in. In Milford, 30 workers when the roof of their business caved in. In North Branford, a when its banquet room roof fell in. Also in North Branford, a local couple had a when their garage roof collapsed. In Somers, a couple had their after a roof collapse.

Middletown saw in the , while Durham lost its , and a local farm lost a calf when a caved. Portland lost .

In downtown Madison, a row of businesses was closed Thursday when the canopy over the sidewalk began buckling under the weight of the snow. Town officials and business owners responded quickly, and by Friday, everything was back to normal. elsewhere in the state also fell victim.

In Southington, West Hartford, Stonington, , East Haven, , , , and Canton, officials used the “better safe than sorry” approach when concerns were raised over roof safety.

In Waterford, two businesses were closed because of roof concerns. In Trumbull, the fell victim, as did a in New Canaan. had three roofs go down. In Avon, it was a that was crushed under the weight of the snow.

In Windsor, the didn’t collapse, but the damage was significant.

In South Windsor, it was a , while in Enfield, an , a and fell apart. Suffield lost an . A garden nursery in also suffered severe damage. In Manchester, an auto upholstery business was .

Stay tuned to your local Patch for all the weather-related news. Winter probably isn’t over yet, though we can hope.