Falling ceiling tile nearly hits shopper at New Bern Mall

On Christmas Eve, Diane Williams of Kinston was doing some last-minute shopping at New Bern Mall when a ceiling tile nearly hit her.

Hundreds of shoppers had more than likely walked under the same spot she walked under when a tile, saturated with rain, came within a foot of striking her on the head.

There were already buckets set up to catch rain, as the roof continually leaked on Christmas Eve, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Williams was not injured, nor were the children standing in line to catch a last glimpse of Santa for the season. The leaking water and saturated tile fell nearly 10 feet away from children, including a newborn infant, who was being held by his mother.

In a news release Friday by Coles Hull Doyle, marketing director of Hull Property Group of Augusta, Ga., which owns the facility, said We do our best to provide a first class shopping mall and we have a team dedicated to the facility upkeep of the property.

According to Doyle, a major overhaul of the roof is already in the works for the first quarter of next year.

This will include the repair of the skylights as well as replacing the roof, Doyle said. Due to the extensive nature of the work we had scheduled the work to begin after the holiday shopping season.

It did rain throughout the day on Wednesday, adding to the already damaged roof. However, rings of earlier water damage could be seen near the skylights and on other sections of the roof.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the presence of damp building materials, such as leaks in the roof, wet insulation within a ceiling or wall, or excessive moisture in the building foundation, can lead to the growth of mold, fungi and bacteria.

The CDC further states that research studies have shown that exposures to building dampness and mold have been associated with respiratory symptoms, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, bronchitis, and various other health-related conditions.

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Falling ceiling tile nearly hits shopper at New Bern Mall