MINNEAPOLIS: The inflatable roof of the Metrodome sports stadium collapsed Sunday after a snowstorm that dumped 17 inches (43 centimeters) on Minneapolis. No one was hurt, but the roof failure forced the National Football League to shift the Minnesota Vikings-New York Giants game to Monday night at Detroit's Ford Field. Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman Roy Terwilliger said he's optimistic the roof can be repaired in time for the Vikings to host the Chicago Bears in their next scheduled home game Monday, Dec. 20. There's a lot of work to be done before then, considering the scene inside the darkened stadium Sunday morning after the collapse about 5 A.M. Snow fell onto the artificial turf through a gaping hole above the 30-yard-line, as a piece of the Teflon-coated fiberglass roof roughly 10 yards long flapped in the wind. It glowed eerily in the sunlight, hovering not too far above the field. Speakers that hang from the roof were still safely above the seats and the field, with no indication that a collapse with people inside would've caused any injuries. MSFC director of facilities and engineering Steve Maki was working with the original manufacturer of the material on a plan to fix the roof. It has failed four times due to heavy snow since the stadium opened nearly 30 years ago, but not since April 1983, when a collapse forced postponement of a Twins major league baseball game. Terwilliger said this was the worst of the collapses. “This just came very fast. It was heavily loaded, and the wind was just unbelievable,” said Maki, who halted snow removal and called his workers down from the roof Saturday night out of concern for safety. “There were no injuries, which we're thankful for,” said Bill Lester, the MSFC's executive director. The game between the Vikings and Giants had already been postponed by 31 hours, after Saturday's blizzard kept the Giants from getting to Minneapolis on time. They stayed the night in Kansas City instead and left for Detroit. but the university said it couldn't be ready in time.
