Roof Collapses On NW OKC Apartment Building

Severe storms passed through the metro early Friday morning, bringing heavy rain that caused a roof to collapse on an apartment building in northwest Oklahoma City.

Officials said emergency crews responded to Oakwood Apartments, 5824 N.W. 34th Street, and started evacuating residents.

News 9 was on the scene and spoke with residents who were affected by the water damage.

By midday Friday, that cleanup was well underway, but the damage was already done.

"It was leaking and you could tell it was about to come down, but it was like a waterfall, starting doing this, everywhere all over the roof," said Darla Kuba, displaced resident. "All over the ceiling from the kitchen to the living room."

The ceiling collapsed in Brett Downs and his girlfriend, Darla Kuba's apartment. Soggy insulation and wet drywall covered everything.

"As he got to the bedroom door, I seen it all come down," said Kuba. "It was pretty close."

Brett Downs said the two were lucky neither got hurt when the ceiling caved in. Luckily Downs had insurance.

"They're going to dry out, save what they can," said Downs.

Several people in the 20 units at the Oakwood Apartments had similar stories.

"The dry wall all fell down in the living room, smashed everything up and the water damage is tremendous," said Dean Hagen.

For Riley Webb and her 19 month old son, this could not have come at a worst time. They lost everything in the May 31st flooding last year. Even though they live on the first floor, the water was seeping down into their unit.

"The apartment above me caved in and it's, there's just waster everywhere over my apartment. And a lot of things are going to have to be replaced," said Webb.

The Red Cross was assisting the displaced residents. They set up a shelter at the Messiah Lutheran Church, 3600 NW Expressway.

Ken Garcia, regional director of Communications with the American Red Cross Central and Western Oklahoma Region, said the American Red Cross will be opening a shelter at 1 p.m. for residents displaced by the flood.

The shelter will be located at Messiah Lutheran Church, 3600 NW Expressway.