News agencies usually report on anything and everything happening in their community, often from the comfort of their stations. What happens, however, when the news takes place in their very station? A February 16, 2014 Poynter article by Al Tompkins explores this:
“News Director Dan O’Donnell was on the other side of the building from the newsroom at 3:20 Friday afternoon when he said he heard “what sounded like a truck backing into the building. Others said it sounded like thunder. Then ceiling tiles came down. The newsroom roof was collapsing.”
Engineers discovered a concrete support beam and slab had shifted and dropped. Luckily, no one was injured.
The WGAL team moved out of the newsroom to a downstairs studio. But when police and fire officials arrived, they ordered everyone out of the building. Everyone.
O’Donnell was standing on the snow-covered station lawn when he said something out loud about needing to move the newsroom somewhere else quickly. An assistant fire chief heard him and suggested the station try the nearby city government building.”
The article shows the resourcefulness of journalists; namely, in being able to improvise and report in the absence of an operational studio. However, it also brings up the importance of checking the condition of roofing in Lancaster, PA homes and having them fixed if any problems are detected.
The biggest reason for the WGAL-TV’s roof collapse is the accumulated weight of the snow that covered the building and the rest of Lancaster. Raking the roof with snow rakes could have helped save it from collapsing.
However, an overload of snow isn’t the only reason for a roof to malfunction. Now that winter is officially over, homeowners should check their roofs for any potential damage. Sagging ceilings and discolored shingles are warning signs that the entire roofing system is damaged and needs repair.
Any homeowners who spot damage on their roofs or are simply unsure about its condition should contact efficient Lancaster roofing companies to inspect and/or repair their roofs for them. Contractors like Eagle Building Solutions have the necessary experience and equipment to make the repair job fast and easy.
All property owners, regardless of whether they own news stations or ordinary homes, should have their roofs checked to ensure their stability… and the safety of the people they protect.
(Source: How WGAL TV kept the newsroom running when the roof collapsed, Poynter, February 16. 2014)
