More than 70 elderly and special needs Summersville residents are being cared for in different surroundings after the roof of the Summersville Manor apartment complex collapsed under the weight of snow early Wednesday morning.
Summersville Mayor Robert Shafer says those in charge of the living facility on Kentucky Road started to be concerned about the situation late Tuesday and they acted before anyone got hurt.
“We had an evacuation and parts of it (the roof) did collapse,” Shaffer told MetroNews affiliate WWWS Radio in Summersville. “It effected the second and third floor of the apartment complex.”
Mayor Shafer says 75 people were evacuated and were initially taken to the Family Life Center Church on Main Street in Summersville. The mayor says they were more concerned about the residents than the building.
“What we were worried about was the safety and security of those who were staying there, getting them to a shelter where they could be cared for. Some of them had special needs and we fulfilled that, so we march forward to our next mission,” Mayor Shafer said.
There have been a total of eight residential roofs that have collapsed, including four businesses but with the help of companies like commercial roofing services these collapses in Nicholas County can be quickly repaired. The U-Save in Summersville, the U-Save in Craigsville, Collins Hardware in Craigsville and Foodland in Craigsville have all been damaged. There is a need for roof replacement in the said properties and they’re now looking for residential/commercial roofing contractors just like the ones from Carolina Home Specialists.
Mayor Shafer says the owners of U-Save in Summersville also acted quickly.
“It was a thing where they could tell structurally that it was going to happen so they were able to get the business closed,” Shafer said.
The state Office of Emergency Services sent a crew to Summersville Wednesday to check out the damages. The state is also working with the Nicholas County Board of Education to examine the structural integrity of school buildings where heavy snow is packed on top of the roofs. Visit gobighorn.com if you have questions about homeowner’s insurance for roof repair.