The canopy over the Liberty gas pump at R.T. Rogers Oil on Eisenhower Drive in Beckley collasped Saturday night because of a large amount of snow that hit the area.
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Old Man Winter is determined to do some destruction.
Across the region, his might has been felt everywhere — from collapsed structures to small iceberg-size snow mounds lining streets.
In Hinton, a vacant church fell like a timbered tree early Monday morning. A dispatcher in Summers County said the church fell onto Madam Creek Road around 4 a.m. The building, which once housed Brooklyn Methodist Church, has not been occupied in more than a decade, the dispatcher said. No injuries were reported, but for several hours Madam Creek Road was blocked as crews cleaned up debris. There were reports that an avalanche hit the church, but the dispatcher said more likely too much snow and sitting vacant for so many years caused its demise.
A common sight around the region was a number of collapsed roofs. The large amount of snow, followed by rain, was too much for many roofs to hold. According to The Weather Channel’s website, saturated snow weighs approximately 20 pounds per cubic foot. The moisture content of snow can range between 1 percent to 33 percent. The more moisture, the heavier the snow.
Monday saw a number of reported collapses…
