Photo by PoPville flickr user rosiedawn

“Dear PoP,

With all the snow we have had, and more on the way, you may want to do an article about the dangers of snow / ice falling onto your head from above. We live in a Victorian-style rowhouse on capital hill with no awning, and most of the houses around us are similar. During this storm, as well as the last bad one, I was struck on the head by falling snow / ice that was jarred loose by the opening and closing of my front door. The sloping roof seems to lend itself to the accumulation of overhanging ice and snow with sharp icicles. This afternoon, we heard a huge crash as the ice and snow from next door that was hanging right above the entrance door fell crashing down onto the porch. It was about 60 – 80 pounds of snow and ice hanging 8-10 inches over the roofline, complete with razor-sharp icicles. A little melt from the sun and it let go catastrophically. Long time residents are aware of the danger, but newbies may not be. The solution? Open the tops of your upstairs windows while standing on the sill, and reach up with a broom to knock the dangerous overhanging snow and ice off the roofline. Please post this warning, as, if someone had been standing on the porch next door when the avalanche occurred, they could have been seriously hurt or even killed!”