Strong winds tear roof off Madison apartment complex, displaces 45 residents

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Forty-five people are displaced after the severe storm Monday afternoon tore a roof off of an East Side Madison apartment building.

It happened in seconds. Residents inside and outside the building were enjoying what seemed to be a normal day until suddenly, it wasn’t.

Truax Park Apartments, Community Development Authority housing lost a part of its gable roof during the storm. The apartment building was initially designed with just a concrete roof, but a wooden gable roof was later installed to help with drainage.

Apartment tenant Kristin Balousek didn’t even have time to get back inside before the damage struck. She says she was just on her porch. Another resident, Lonnie Bibbs was inside, watching the Simpsons when a sudden loud boom alerted him to the roof destruction.

“Shingles were flying, " according to Balousek, “A big chunk of roof flew and there were two cars squished from the roof.”

“I was watching the Simpsons on television. Laughing at Bart and Homer. Then boom!” Bibbs said.

His first thought went to his son, who was taking a nap.

“First I was going to go to sleep because I was tired. I open my door and like two seconds later I see glass come down. Glass hit my feet and I’m panicked. I’m flabbergasted - I think it’s a dream!” said Bibbs Jr.

Trees and wreckage were strewn about - insulation making it look like a snowstorm in June. The aftermath of the strong winds left Lonnie Jr.’s bedroom a wreck.

“All of the sudden we heard a big old explosion and his bedroom window was blown out!” Bibbs said.

Bibbs was grateful it was only his son’s stuffed animal caught underneath the glass.

“I was gonna go to sleep. My feet was laying the way the window came down,” said Bibbs Jr.

Madison Fire and Police Department, as well as the Dane County Emergency Management and the American Red Cross were on the scene, helping the displaced residents find shelter for the night.

Despite the heavy damage to the building and to the cars parked along the road, no injuries were reported.

While some of those individuals were able to find their own places to stay, the American Red Cross also set up a temporary shelter about two blocks away, at Madison College. There, the residents could get food, water, other essentials, as well as a place to stay.

They also found shelter thanks to Madison Metro, MFD added. It explained that the company’s buses were used to help people stay cool after the storm and to get them where they needed to go.

MFD investigators determined the part of the roof torn off by the storm was actually a “false roof,” which it described as a secondary roof over the actual one. It found the building itself was still structurally sound. However, people could not go back in because all of the electrical components were fixed and all other repairs made.

MFD planned to return to the building Tuesday morning to continue its investigation and to figure out how long the residents will be displaced.

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