Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After dealing with three feet of lake effect snow last week, some Southtowns homeowners this week are having to prepare to deal with two after effects when it comes to the top and bottom of their homes.
Host of "Hammer Time Radio" on WBEN, Dominic Cortese says weight of the snow is always a concern when it comes to the weight exceeding the capacity of a roof.
"I think you should be mindful, as a homeowner, about the inadequacy of a structure to be able to support that kind of weight," said Cortese in an interview with WBEN.
Cortese recommends using a snow rake at the perimeter of eaves, not only to relieve weight, but also to lighten the amount of ice that might form from melting snow.
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After an extreme weather event like feet of lake effect snow, the melting can become a worry for basements prone to flooding.
Cortese says it's always prudent to spend some time looking around the perimeter of your home to see if your home is prone to a repeating scenario where water collects and/or is leaking into the basement.
"It may be an enigma based on the amount of snow we had in a short period of time, but it also may be an indication of a bigger problem, which is that we have poor drainage, poor distribution of the water away from the structure, toward drain tile, an inadequate sump system," he said.
Cortese advises people to have a utility pump to deal with water collecting in your basement. He also suggests if you have water collecting around the perimeter of your home from thawing, then you may want to take steps to alleviate that by creating trenches to divert the water.
What about permanent solutions?
"Perimeter drain tile that's rooted away from the house and connected to either a storm line or the storm culvert, would be very prudent to prevent water from being able to collect around the perimeter of your home or be a threat to flooding the interior of your home," Cortese said.
Warmer temperatures with rain is forecast this week.