Warmer Weather Brings New Problems To Homeowners, Motorists
By Samantha Christmann, The Buffalo News, N.Y. |
The thaw, however, is also fraught with peril.
Now the problems are ice dams on roofs that force water into homes, flooding, car damage and broken water pipes. And then there are the potholes -- even chasms -- in roadways.
The first signs of change came Tuesday, as the 33-day streak of consecutive days below freezing ended. The mercury crested above 32 degrees for about 14 hours. But the melting did little more than create large puddles in parking lots and on some roads.
By late next week, the warm-up could last for days, with temperatures pushing 50 degrees.
That will speed up the thaw -- and the need for homeowners and public officials alike to manage it quickly.
"The task ahead of us is going to be unending," said
"We have water coming in through our kitchen light fixture and last night my husband tried to clear the snow from the roof but it didn't seem to help," she said. "I don't know what to do because we have never had this happen before."
Residents are fighting to remove ice and snow from roofs to prevent melted water from getting trapped behind it, backing up under the shingles and inside their homes.
"Whoever it is that fixes this type of issue is going to be quite busy," Ingrassia said.
Count
"You're going to see even more trouble as it warms up," Liolos said. "We're going to get swamped."
Business is also booming at Mid-City Home Improvement in
"Now it's really going to be a problem because everything is going to melt," said
Because there was not a mid-winter thaw or two to allow snow and ice to melt and run off, the amount on many roofs has expanded over two months.
The slow melting of snow on roofs as heat escapes and the sun pounds down creates ice dams in gutters. When the water reverses course and backs up under shingles, that's when real damage hits.
"There are peoples' homes that are leaking right now and they don't even know it," Liolos said.
Liolos said the melting cycle is accelerated when the air temperature crests above freezing. The warmer it gets, the quicker the melting occurs and the water starts to back up under the shingles.
"Some people are going to have it raining inside their houses," Liolos said.
Exacerbating the problem could be snow buildup on roofs.
"With the rain adding weight onto that snowpack, it's going to have even more of a snow load," said
If it gets heavy enough, experts said, that could threaten the structural integrity of a roof.
"Use a snow rake," Gullo said. "If you have a flat roof, try to get up there and remove some of that. If not, you're going to have water coming in."
If not water coming in from above, it could be water from below.
As of Wednesday, 21 inches of snowpack remained on the ground at the
"Just checking your basement even once or twice a day -- keeping an eye on everything -- is probably a good suggestion," said
"We didn't have any January or February thaw so the buildup of snow is unusual," Dreher said. "No melting has really occurred."
There are things you can do now to prepare:
--Move snow away from the foundation of your home.
--Have a backup sump pump.
--Be aware of what your homeowner's policy covers.
Flood insurance must be obtained at least 30 days before any claim. Usually, special enhancements to homeowners policies are required to cover events when a sump pump fails or water backs up through drains or sewers, Dreher said.
Make sure your policy protects what you need protected. "It may only cover
If the region's numerous gaping potholes don't rattle you, traveling over a bridge joint might.
"The ground and roads are all heaving," said Best, the
The Weather Service estimated the extended cold had forced the frost line 18 inches below ground as of Tuesday.
Bill Geary,In many cases, it happens when moisture surrounds buried utility pipes. When it freezes, that area expands, heaving the earth above it.
"Bridges are some of the most temperamental," Geary said. "There's really not much you can do."
In some spots in
"The potholes are unbelievable," Best said.
Geary said county crews will be out repairing potholes they know about when the weather breaks.
He asked the public to alert county officials about problematic potholes, and encouraged motorists to drive cautiously around work crews filling them.
Potholes can be reported to the
email: [email protected] and [email protected]
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