Roofs collapse under weight of snow in multiple regions

In multiple parts of the Netherlands, including Deventer, Almelo, Den Haag and Naaldwijk, the heavy snowfall over the weekend caused roofs to cave in.

The roof of the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek was one of the buildings that proved to be unable to withstand the weight of the snow. “The interior is not damaged and neither is the collection”, museum director Wiel Lender said to Omroep Gelderland. 

According to Lender, three thousand kilograms of snow was removed from the roof on Sunday morning with the help of the fire department. With increased air pressure on the roof and heating set on full power, the museum hopes to prevent the same accident from happening twice.

A warehouse in Naaldwijk, pictured above, also succumbed to the weight of the snow.

In the region of Den Haag, part of the façade of an apartment building came tumbling down damaging a car underneath in the process. According to Omroep West, inhabitants were still able to spend the night in their homes.

Volunteers in Deventer were able to prevent the roof of an inflatable hockey sports hall from collapsing after a warning message spread on WhatsApp, RTV Oost reports. A firetruck that was meant to support the volunteers got stuck in a grass field on the way, due to the snow.

“Nice example of Twente neighborhood solidarity”, the Twente fire brigade tweeted.