Thomas MacMillan Photo
Jim Eggert in front of 109 Howard St.
Jim Eggert showed up Wednesday morning to check out the snow-covered roof of a nervous homeowner on Howard Street. Before he could do that, he had to make his way to the front door without going head over heels on the ice-covered steps.
“This is just freaking absurd,” Eggert muttered after taking a couple steps on the driveway and sliding back where he started.
The same conditions that made the driveway and steps treacherous are the ones that can make roofs spring leaks or even collapse under the weight of this winter’s record-setting quantities of snow and ice. As a city building inspector, Eggert must make sure roofs are safe. He and four other inspectors roved the city Thursday keeping an eye on building-tops and following up on homeowners’ calls for advice. Meanwhile, city crews were out checking trees threatened by the ice.
So far, only three structures — two garages and one carport — have collapsed under the snow, said top city building official Andy Rizzo. He said he has between five and nine inspectors out keeping an eye on roofs, depending on the time of day.
Eggert, who just turned 60, has been an inspector with the city for four years. On Wednesday morning, he was deployed to 109 Howard St. in Fair Haven Heights, where a woman had called the city for help.
“I can’t believe you made it up here,” said Dorene Merante, when Eggert arrived at her doorstep. “I’m worried about my roof.”
Eggert told Merante that she had a low-pitched roof that did have a lot of snow and ice accumulated. Did she hear any creaking? Did she notice any leaks or cracks?
Merante said no.
Eggerts said her roof was probably fine but recommended she hire a contractor to clear it off, before it gets worse. Eggert said he’d give the roof a closer look and set off around the back of the house. He had to break through a top layer of ice then sink each leg up to the thigh as he trudged through the snow.
Merante said she’s lived in the house for 40 years, and has never seen a winter like this one. “I’ve lived through blizzards and hurricanes. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Behind the house, Eggert cast an eye at the eaves. He noticed a big ice dam at the edge of the roof, but said the length of the eave kept it from being an emergency. He also looked for an sagging in the roof, or signs of weakness. He saw none.
He pushed through the snow back to the front and offered his final advice to Merante, who poked her head out the front door to hear it. “Keep an eye on it,” he said.
“And buy some sand,” he added, as he shuffled back down the driveway.
While 109 Howard did not appear to be an emergency, Eggert said he’s spotted a few dangerous situations. Tuesday he was looking at some condos on Livingston Street in East Rock when he noticed a car port piled high with snow. It looked ready to collapse, he said. “There was a BMW under the thing.”
Eggert tried to find an owner but no one was home. He ended up leaving a note.
As far as actual collapses, Eggert said he’s been called to two of this winter’s three. The first collapse was of a carport on Kneeland Road in the East Shore, Rizzo said.
The other two were garages. Eggert was called to them both late at night. One was last week on Lombard Street. No one was hurt but Eggert decided the garage needed to be totally dismantled, since it was so close to the street.
The other came in at midnight on Friday. It was a three-car garage (pictured) behind a duplex on St. John Street in Wooster Square. The garage didn’t need to be demolished, but two cars were still stuck inside it as of Wednesday afternoon.
Trees
While ice build-up on roofs threatened homeowners, ice on trees threatened motorists. On South Orange Street, ice caused an elm tree to hang dangerously low, in the path of southbound trucks.
At 2 p.m., a police cruiser blocked traffic until the arrival of a two-man tree crew from the parks department. Jeff Ryan and Mike Dorsey, one of five crews roaming the city on Wednesday, used a pole saw to make quick work of the low-hanging branches, which they piled up on a snowbank.
Ryan said elm trees are prone to sagging under heavy ice, and all trees snap more easily in the cold and ice. Still, Wednesday hadn’t been too bad, he said. South Orange Street was only their second call of the day, he said. The first had been clearing a downed limb on Harrison Street.
Fernando Lage, the city’s urban forester, said things are generally in control around town. “They’re looking good. We haven’t had anything major break or fall down.”
Lage said the main problem is what happened on South Orange Street: Lower limbs are hanging down more than usual and getting hit by trucks.
“As long as the wind holds up and doesn’t get too crazy, we should be in good shape,” Lage said.
