Snapshot From A Storm: Heavy Snow Caves In Home's Roof On Long Island
SELDEN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Even for those who heeded the advice of officials and stayed home in Suffolk County, the blizzard that rocked the Tri-State Area on Friday into Saturday has been nightmare.
Residents in Ronkokoma found themselves shoveling out from under a blanket 3-feet deep and waist high.
The heavy accumulation proved too much to bear for one house in Selden, CBS 2's Steve Langford reported Saturday.
At 11 a.m., the weight of a solid 2 feet of snow was too much for one home.
"I was outside shoveling the walk and I looked over and the roof began to collapse," resident Michael Thyfault said.
Thyfault said he ran across the street. The man who lives at the impacted house was outside shoveling snow and didn't hear the collapse. However, the man's wife was inside and escaped in her slippers, screaming.
"His wife came running out. Everybody was safe. Neighbors took them in, got them warm, got them fed," Thyfault said.
The town building inspector immediately condemned the home.
"People don't realize the weight of the snow. It's very dangerous if you don't take care of it," resident Michael Dowell said.
Some neighbors scrambled to clear the snow off their rooves -- a dangerous task in and of itself.
"That's the risk I took, I guess, because I didn't want anything to happen to my place," Dowell said.
Dowell said he heard ominous creaking noises from his roof after the blizzard.
"Dangerous, very dangerous," he said.
Anxious neighbors said they were gratified no one was killed but all too aware of the sudden brutal impact of the snowstorm of 2013.
"They've lived there since the house was built, raised their kids in the house. It's kind of hard to watch it all go away," Thyfault said.
The couple who lived in the home was safe Saturday night, but was too distraught to speak to CBS 2.
Snow accumulation also caused the roof of a bowling alley in Smithtown to collapse, the building was not occupied at the time and nobody was hurt.
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