MILBRIDGE, Maine — Forty-one people were evacuated after a roof collapsed at a nursing home in Milbridge during a storm on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis said the roof at Narraguagus Bay Health Care at 3 Main St. collapsed, and residents of the building were either placed with family or relocated to nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities in Gouldsboro and Ellsworth.
No one was hurt, according to Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis.
"[There was] water coming down through the roof and into the second floor, and then it was just going to be a matter of time for it to be down through. And we were afraid of the wiring and everything in there, so we made the decision to evacuate the people," Curtis said.
Mary Jane Richards, the CEO of the company that manages the facility, said she hopes something can be done temporarily to fix the leaks and secure the roof until they can fully replace it.
"The roof is still intact, but when the fire department came they felt it was structurally compromised and therefore we needed to evacuate everybody," Richards said.
Diane Kois lives a few feet away from the nursing home. She said she had just fallen asleep when she was awakened by the sound of the wind.
“I was taking a little cat nap and I knew the winds were pretty bad, I could hear them shaking the house," Kois said.
One of the back corners of the building's roof came right down, sending debris into her yard.
"Pieces kept falling, and falling, and falling, and blowing everywhere across the yard and I thought, 'Oh my gosh,' and I heard somebody yelling so I called 911,” Kois said.
Officials said they were able to get all of the nursing home's residents out of the building within two hours. They were relocated by ambulances and school buses, Curtis said.
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