WEYAUWEGA, WI (WTAQ) – Most people in Northeast Wisconsin feel weighed down by all the snow and ice so far in 2019, while the World Class Manufacturing building is literally being weighed down by the winter weather.
That Weyauwega business was evacuated Monday morning due to the threat of a roof collapse.
Staff noticed that in the morning that heavy snow on the roof had caused an area to start bowing around a foot.
“We have a drop ceiling and it appeared that the edges of it were starting to bow,” says Chief Financial Officer, Joni Lindros.
Firefighters were called to the scene around 7:30 a.m. and determined the area to be connecting a front administrative building and a production building.
“The metal cross-members that go across the metal roof, those are bent down because of the snow load,” says Weyauwega’s assistant fire Chief, Brandon Leschke. “They’re obviously showing signs of failure.”
The building’s water was turned off and computers removed as employees were waiting for roofers to arrive and clear the snow.
Lindros can attest that an available roofing crew is a tough commodity to come by right now.
“They were called this morning, but they’re really busy,” says Lindros. “They’ve got everybody and their brothers doing the same thing.”
The administrative building likely will remain closed for repairs, but the company does hope to resume production on Tuesday.
Yet, local officials remain concerned.
“With the snow up on the roof yet, it’s potential that it could collapse,” says Assistant Chief Leschke.
He adds that the weather has put a strain on a number of area residents and structures this year.
“Obviously, we haven’t experienced this much snow and the quantity and the drifting and the weight it all compiled at once. It’s been several years,” he says.
