Paul Carew was an offseason Santa Claus on Thursday, stomping around on roofs in his neighborhood. But instead of sliding down chimneys, he was clearing away hundreds of pounds of snow as residents expressed concern over the ever-increasing weight piling up on Bend homes.

“I’m just lending a hand to the neighbors,” said the 65-year-old retired photographer.

Carew, who lives on Baltimore Avenue east of 14th Street, said he started clearing roofs about 9 a.m. At 2:30 p.m. he was on his last home, owned by an elderly man who couldn’t clear the heavy snow himself.

Neighbor Devin Stucki noticed ice dams and leaking in the back room of a house he rents on Albany Avenue, and asked Carew if he could borrow a ladder to clear it. Despite being a renter, Stucki said he has spent time working on roofs and figured he might as well do it himself rather than call the landlord and ask for professional help.

Carew was quick to lend a hand, and with his newly purchased roof rake, the two finished the job in under two hours.

When asked why he was spending a day helping several neighbors clear their roofs, Carew said he’s retired so he has the free time — and it is just the neighborly thing to do. He said they will all pay him back in various ways throughout the year.

Carew grew up in New England and moved to Bend in 2007 after retiring from his job as a photographer at the University of Massachusetts. He said he grew up with a lot of snow, but hasn’t seen anything like this in Bend.

“It just scares me when you see so much snow between houses and on roofs,” he said.

While Bendites have been braving the elements to climb up on their roofs to clear snow this week, some businesses find themselves in the same boat. Chris Babcock, barista at Spoken Moto cafe, said the building he works in is just an old shed that’s been remodeled. He and other employees have been shoveling off the roof constantly as the snow has been coming down this winter. He said the roof is old and leaky, so they try to keep it as clear as possible.

Plus, he saw firsthand the result of too much snow accumulation. On Wednesday night, a building across the street owned by McKenzie Creek Development LLC caved in. Babcock said he saw it further crumble Thursday morning.

“I think people are pretty worried,” he said of the town in general.

One person who didn’t appear worried at all was Carew. After finishing up the final roof for the day, he was planning to drink a beer and relax before spending Friday backcountry skiing.

—Reporter: 541-383-0376, awieber@bendbulletin.com

Assessing the damage

With several buildings around Bend collapsing under heavy snow this week, local officials have banded together to provide resources for the community.

Bend Police Lt. Clint Burleigh said Bend Police Department has been coordinating with the other local public agencies, as well as private businesses such as St. Charles, to make sure life-safety measures are available to those in need.

Many homes throughout town are showing signs of overbearing snow weight, and ice dams and leaking continue to be an issue. A hotline has been established to help answer any questions the public has. Call 541-322-6330 if you fear your home might not support the weight of the snow, or if exhaust flues from gas furnaces and water heaters are getting buried.

Bend Fire Department Fire Marshall Cindy Kettering said she and others at the department have been busy all day responding to citizen concerns reported via the hotline.

Kettering said signs of a threatened structure include cracking, popping and creaking noises coming from the structure, as well as cracks in walls or ceilings. Doors getting jammed is also a sign, and any sagging of walls or ceilings is a red flag.

Kettering said if there are obvious signs that a structure is going to fall, call 911. For those who want to know if their building or home is safe, call an engineer or roofer, she said.

If a structure does collapse, police can work with utility companies to make sure gas and electricity gets shut off promptly if there is a risk of a line rupture, Burleigh said.

The buildings most susceptible to collapse are large, flat-roofed commercial buildings, he said.

Kettering also spent time Thursday checking on warehouses and gyms with large, flat roofs.

“We’ve seen a few where they definitely need to remove some snow, but nothing where we would consider it an imminent danger,” she said

So far, a building on Industrial Way owned by McKenzie Creek Development LLC fell Wednesday night. A FedEx distribution center on Jamison Street was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a north-facing wall was visibly bowing under the pressure of snow. As of Thursday evening the wall had yet to cave, Kettering said.

The gym at the Highland Magnet at Kenwood School in Bend was found completely collapsed Thursday morning, prompting Bend-La Pine Schools to close all schools as it checks its buildings for structural weaknesses.

While large buildings without internal structural support are most vulnerable, city of Bend building codes require roofs to support about 20 inches of snow. Many homes and buildings around town are holding far more, and rain expected on Monday could significantly increase the weight area homes are holding.

Older buildings, specifically ones built before the late 1960s when building codes were instituted, are also at risk.

The city suggests getting professional help in the form of a structural engineer to assess your building, or a roofer to clear snow, rather than trying to remove snow and ice yourself.