The roof of the Bill Ray Center, an empty building on F Street in downtown Juneau, collapsed Tuesday following back-to-back snowstorms and rain.
Although Tuesday’s rain has melted some of the several feet of snow that’s accumulated over more than a week, dripping roofs can still hold a lot of weight.
The warm-up has also caused roadways to pool with water due to poor drainage from snow and ice blocking storm drains. The snowpack is also becoming more dense and harder to move.
That’s made shoveling roofs more risky.
Spencer Goodwin is taking a break from his day job as a property manager to shovel roofs for as low as $1000 and up to $4000 for the biggest homes. He said that at first, he was in it for the cash.
“Now, it’s become desperation to try to save buildings at this point,” he said.
He said his body aches after several days of shoveling, so now he’s coordinating crews with fresh arms. He had three men fly in from Anchorage Monday morning to help.
It’s a dangerous job. Goodwin told KTOO that two members of his crew fell from a roof, but that they were alright.
“As the snow gets heavier — and wetter — it becomes more slippery on the roofs, becomes a little bit more dangerous,” he said.
The work also goes slower. He said he’s been turning away requests because his crew just can’t fulfill them all.
At this point, it appears the market isn’t meeting the roof-clearing demand. Residents looking for help with roofs must decide whether to wait for someone who is licensed and insured, or take the risk of hiring someone who could potentially get injured or damage their property.
The National Weather Service estimates that a flat roof may currently be holding approximately 40.04 lbs. per square foot, based on ground measurements made Tuesday morning at the agency’s forecast office in Mendenhall Valley.
Juneau emergency officials say that’s about the weight capacity for most homes built before 1991.
Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that the National Weather Service’s measurement on Tuesday was for approximately how much snow is currently sitting on a flat roof.
