Record number of building collapses this winter

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This winter has set a new record in collapsed roofs, or roofs that have been in danger of collapsing under the weight of snow. As of Monday, rescue officials around the country had received 115 reports of buildings whose roofs had collapsed, or which were in daner of collapsing.
      Most of the alarms were for the south and west of Finland, which have had an unusually large amount of snow this winter.
      In four previous years there have been just a few alarms of potential snow damage to roofs. The greatest number came in 2008, when there were 16 reports. Last year, there were just three reports of collapses, or potential collapses.
     
In late February the Rescue Department of the Ministry of the Interior examined what kinds of collapses were reported. Typical cases involved cowsheds or similar buildings, says engineer Kirsi Rajamäki.
      “Only in a few cases was there a danger of injury to people.”
     
Rajamäki says that weak structures in the south of Finland have been put to the test this winter.
      “There are also plenty of buildings or parts of buildings with light structures, such as storehouses, porches, and terraces.”
      Rajamäki says that the real number of collapses and potential collapses is greater than statistics indicate, as many of them are never reported.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Snow removal from roofs causes fatal accidents (1.3.2010)
  Snow load on roofs getting risky in places (24.2.2010)

Helsingin Sanomat