Shop owner’s roof falls in

Malih Hilal in his Milk Bar, after the debris had been cleared. 90379 Picture: JESSE GRAHAM

A LOCAL business owner has been left stranded without a source of income for almost three weeks after his roof came crashing down around him.
Malih Hilal, owner of a milk bar in Mount Evelyn was inside his shop on 1 November when he heard “a crack”.
“We’re lucky, I had a little bit hit my leg, but apart from that there was no-one hurt,” he said.
Mr Hilal’s family were standing next to the cool-room in the shop when the roof came down, but boxes stacked on top of the cool-room protected them from most of the debris.
The entire roof collapsed, due to water that had built up and weakened the ceiling.
During a conversation on 16 November, Mr Hilal said that assessors had been sent out by his insurance agency, but apart from clearing debris, nothing has happened.
“They send one person, they send a second and still nothing happens,” he said.
“And now we’re just waiting.”