Dramatic Footage Captures Roof Collapse During Record-Breaking Rainfall in Rhode Island

Dramatic footage captured the moment the roof of a commercial building collapsed during record-breaking rainfall in Providence, Rhode Island, on Monday, September 5.

Jerry Batista, who owns the property that was under development, said he and his family were investigating the source of leaks during heavy rainfall when the roof came crashing down.

“We heard the cracks from that side of the building when I started recording and then, sure enough, the whole roof collapsed,” he said on Instagram.

“We’re thankful no one was injured,” he said. “Because of Labor Day, nobody was working, nobody was at school, nobody was on the street. We’re thanking God in this circumstance, because this could have been much much worse,” he said. Credit: Jerry Batista via Storyful

Video transcript

JERRY BATISTA: Oh! Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Guys. Oh, my goodness. Hey, hey, hey, out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building.

[ALARM BLARING]

Holy [MUTED]

Oh! Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Guys. Oh, my goodness. Hey, hey, hey, out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building.

[ALARM BLARING]

Holy [MUTED]

Oh! Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Guys. Oh, my goodness. Hey, hey, hey, out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building.

[ALARM BLARING]

Holy [MUTED]

Oh! Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. Guys. Oh, my goodness. Hey, hey, hey, out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building. Out of the building.

[ALARM BLARING]

Holy [MUTED]