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NATCHEZ — Alfa Insurance Agency Owner John L. Sullivan was driving back from a client’s home after helping with his client’s roof leak on Wednesday when his phone rang.

“It was my wife, telling me our roof was leaking,” he said.

Residents and business owners all over Adams County began having roof leak issues and ceilings collapse — the result of the snow, ice and below freezing temperatures our area has experienced since Sunday.

“The snow and ice on roofs is preventing the rain from running off. The water is actually backing up beneath the shingles and finding weak areas of the roof to get into the building,” Sullivan said.

His advice first and foremost to his clients is to stay safe.

“Stay safe. Don’t try to get on your roof and put a tarp up or anything like that. Stay safe and stay warm and work to prevent further damage inside,” he said. “Get buckets and mops and towels and try to keep your floors as dry as possible.”

This “insurance event” is going to be stressful and overwhelming for all involved, Sullivan said.

“We will get the claims put in and the repair work done. The important thing is to stay warm. We will get through it and hopefully we won’t have another one of these for 30 years or so.”