Roof blown off house Knik couple were about to close on

WASILLA — High winds battering the Mat-Su Valley the past several days were much more than just an annoyance to one Knik couple.

Sid and Carol Glasscock of 5133 Lori-Lynn Circle were awakened in the early hours of Tuesday, Aug. 30 by the sounds of metal roofing, vent pipes and roof decking being peeled from their home.

Sid Glasscock said the couple was in a back bedroom around 2 a.m., when the destruction began.

“The roof started rattling,” said Sid. “It all happened at once. It sounded like a freight train.”

As dawn arrived, damage became apparent. Metal roofing was lifted off both sides of the ranch-style home roof, all ventilation piping destroyed and a 4x8 foot section of plywood broke off a rafter leaving an approximate five-foot wide hole.

“We just stayed put; it was scary,” Carol said. “None of the other houses around us were damaged at all.”

The couple has lived in the home for about a year. In an ironic twist, the Glasscocks were scheduled to close on purchasing it later that day. Carol said she and Sid had no plans to back out of the deal. Sid said there was no interior damage to the structure.

“We lived 30 years in Anchorage and had winds of 70 and 80 miles per hour, but nothing was ever damaged,” Carol said. The two have been married for almost 52 years.

“Since this morning, the tar paper has been ripped off,” Sid pointed out.

He said the couple’s strong faith helped them through the event until sun-up. The new homeowners were insured but have yet to secure an estimate of the damage.

According to the National Weather Service meteorologist Christian Kassell, winds picked up Monday afternoon and remained high through mid-afternoon Tuesday. Gusts at Palmer Airport were as high as 50 miles per hour with sustained overnight and early-morning winds of 25-30 mph. He said peak gusts around the Wasilla area were approximately 35 mph similar sustained winds. The Houston area reported gusts up to 35 mph and sustained winds of 15-20.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com.