Wooden Carport Collapses and Damages 19 Cars

Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.comIt’s not surprising to us here at Elephant to hear about collapsed wooden carports often in the winter. Throughout the country old wooden carports have to withstand packed on snow they were never intended to support. At the beginning of the carport’s life, it’s definitely possible that they are capable of handling weight that isn’t normally expected, but the wood ages and it doesn’t age well. In this particular incident in Spokane, Washington the wooden carport that collapsed trapped and damaged 19 cars. The people nearby were surprised by a large crashing sound when the carport collapsed. One bystander, Nichole Gorneau said, “It was so loud it sounded like a gust of snow or something, like an avalanche. It was scary.” Mrs. Gorneau lives next door, but the sound was enough to be heard much farther away. The compounded snow on a rooftop is something a lot of us have seen, but few have been around such a large structure when it collapses from that amount of pressure. The large boom was the result of the structure effectively buckling and snapping under the pressure of the thousands of pounds of snow on the roof. Bystanders and onlookers said that the carport collapsing was unexpected, as the area’s winter has been especially erratic and severe at times. Washington in general does get very cold and experiences a lot of rainfall and snowfall in areas, but the weather is as unpredictable as anything else in this world.

That’s why it’s so imperative to be prepared beyond a wooden carport. The people that owned the cars underneath the collapsed roof were at the very least extremely inconvenienced or had there car severely damaged. They were honestly lucky to not have been underneath the carport and that property damage was the only thing they now have to deal with. Common wooden carport roofs can support 20 pounds per square foot. In this instance there was a considerable amount of ice on the structure as well so the load was much higher than anyone anticipated it would need to be. It seems there is some confusion with the vehicle owners as to what the insurance companies are covering, and it may be leaning towards them not paying them at all. It’s extremely unfortunate that 19 people may be without a ride to work with very few hopes they’ll have one in the near future. Our thoughts go out to them, and we hope there is a way to resolve these matters.

Go With Elephant To Avoid Things Like This Happening to You

We have certified buildings that can withstand considerable snow loads and wind speeds, and they’re always guaranteed to meet your county’s requirements for building permits and loadings. If you live somewhere up north, or in an area with sporadic weather patterns like the coast it’s also possible to get your building super certified. This is a custom option that our building advisors would be happy to help you with. When it comes to top of the line strong metal structures that hold up in severe weather, you can count on Elephant. Your vehicle is usually how you get to work in today’s world, and if your storing it underneath something that could end up destroying it, you should remedy that as quickly as you are able to. Call in today for a free consultation from one of our building professionals and remember, every building comes with free delivery and installation.