MILBRIDGE, Maine — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above aired Jan. 18, 2022.
Narraguagus Bay Health Care welcomed residents and staff back into the facility Tuesday after 41 people were evacuated on Jan. 17 when the building's roof collapsed.
The roof collapse happened during a storm that brought strong winds to Maine.
Residents were either placed with family or relocated to similar facilities in Gouldsboro and Ellsworth.
On Friday, Narraguagus Bay Health Care posted to Facebook saying the building would hopefully reopen soon. Then, on Tuesday, the facility posted videos welcoming residents back into the building.
"This is home," said one resident as she returned to the facility.
No one was hurt in the roof collapse, according to Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis.
"[There was] water coming down through the roof and into the second floor, and then it was just going to be a matter of time for it to be down through. And we were afraid of the wiring and everything in there, so we made the decision to evacuate the people," Curtis said.
Diane Kois lives a few feet away from the nursing home. She said she had just fallen asleep when she was awakened by the sound of the wind.
“I was taking a little cat nap and I knew the winds were pretty bad, I could hear them shaking the house," Kois said.
One of the back corners of the building's roof came right down, sending debris into her yard.
"Pieces kept falling, and falling, and falling, and blowing everywhere across the yard and I thought, 'Oh my gosh,' and I heard somebody yelling so I called 911,” Kois said.
Officials said they were able to get all of the nursing home's residents out of the building within two hours. They were relocated by ambulances and school buses.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to Narraguagus Bay Health Care for more information on the status of the building but did not immediately get a response.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video below aired Jan. 18, 2022.