Local

Roof damage at YMCA in Kannapolis after Saturday storms

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Strong storms ripped part of the Kannapolis YMCA roof off Saturday while many people were inside.

“[I’m] very concerned because we do need to watch out for our kids," said Janet Langley, whose granddaughter goes to the YMCA regularly.

Thankfully, no one was hurt when two-thirds of one side of the roof flew off. The roof now has blue tarp and 2-by-4s over the multipurpose room and part of the administrative offices.

A lot of small tree branches litter the area; some trees have limbs down or are split in half.

Jonathan Farzalo was glad the YMCA was open Monday, when he brought his two girls and saw the roof damage.

"We were pretty surprised actually [at the damage]. We lost a tree in our yard but seeing what happened here at the Y, we saw it online and it was pretty surprising," Farzalo said.

Crews came Sunday to help clean up storm damage. There were some leaks and they had to water-proof the roof.

The YMCA’s CEO and executive director are both out of town, but CEO Ron Davis told Eyewitness News anchor Liz Foster on the phone, “It could have been a lot worse.”

YMCA leaders are working on getting an insurance adjuster to the facility, but say it could be six weeks before full repairs are made to the 28-year-old roof. They added that with this extreme heat, they'll err on the side of caution to protect roofers.

"We trust the people who run it so if they say it's safe, it's OK with me,” Farzalo said.

Some people believe it was a small tornado that came through, but Channel 9’s team of meteorologists say it was just very strong winds. However, they can do the same kind of damage.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: