After a freezing winter storm shut down power in Texas in February, many pool owners experienced damage. With plumbing lines and equipment compromised, tens of thousands of pools across Texas were damaged beyond use. The Claffey Pools team of nearly 100 employees continues to work tirelessly to restore nearly 1,000 area pool systems. Serving North Texas for more than 30 years, Claffey Pools specializes in pool construction, service and renovation. Several weeks later, the Claffey Pools team can see the finish line on what has been and will be its most complicated and challenging endeavor. We sat down with Claffey Pools president Charlie Claffey to learn more about how his team weathered the storm.

FOR MORE THAN 34 YEARS… Claffey Pools has built more than 10,000 pools in North Texas. The Claffey Pools team is ranked third in the United States according to the “Pool and Spa News” Top 50 builders. Claffey Pools helps lead the industry by assisting in the adoption of Texas’ first uniform pool building code, serving the Texas Pool and Spa Coali- tion, the International Code Council, the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance and the Master Pools Guild.

WE ARE INDUSTRY LEADERS BECAUSE… of the tireless efforts of our staff, the talents of our trade partners and a culture centered on a passionate commitment for excellence.

TEXAS WAS DEVASTATED… by this winter weather. The never-before-seen cold, combined with power outages that, in some cases, lasted for days, caused immeasurable damage to homes and pools across the state. In what may go down as the single largest weather-related disaster in our nation’s history, swimming pools that rely on electricity to keep water moving were frozen solid.

WE WERE OVERWHELMED… with hundreds of calls, emails and texts in the days of the freeze. Our team assisted hundreds of clients at all hours of the night with calls and field visits. After the first few days, it was apparent that managing the requests without centralized communication and processes was impossible. In less than 24 hours, our team developed a web portal that gathered the data necessary to categorize damages and dispatch field personnel. The portal went live at 5 p.m. on February 18. By February 20, we were faced with the daunting task of performing nearly 900 freeze assessments.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE… in the last month can only be explained as miraculous. With our backs against the wall, the God-inspired ideas, systems, communication and execution is unfounded. The teamwork of employees, trade partners, supply side partners and manufacturing partners will forever change us. Our team, with daily help from above, has performed 900 assessments and estimates and repaired over 700 pools, covering a 120-mile radius, in just seven weeks. From what we are being told, the industry will be lucky to finish the balance of the repairs in seven months.

WE HAVE INCREDIBLE… team members that have worked seven-day weeks since the freeze event started — many working 20 hour days. We have incredible trade partners and manufacturing relationships that have been critical to the process. We have amazing people who have done amazing things.

WE ARE GRATEFUL… to God for the inspiration and guidance. From being inspired to clear the entire supply side chain inventory before anyone else reacted to being guided to design website portals, mechanized assessments and workflow management tools, our team has always been a step ahead.

THANK YOU… to our loyal clients. Throughout the entire process, our amazing clients have allowed us to pilot processes, use their homes as assessment training grounds, helped us feed our employees and even remodeled a 6,000-square-foot warehouse in one week — just to allow us to hold a never-before-seen amount of product. The friendships that are created as a result of working for so many of you is what makes each day special. Thank you.

Claffey Pools

1625 Brumlow Avenue, Southlake, Texas 76092

Phone 817.488.5795

Article originally posted at: https://www.southlakestyle.com/community/business/claffey-pools-helps-residents-recover-from-freeze-damage-wit/

California emergency workers recovered the body of a man buried in the collapse of a swimming pool under construction. Firefighters filled the streets of a gated Orange County community Saturday, December 19, 2020. They removed the body of a man who had died after being buried under soil that collapsed on top of him and a crew that were excavating an area for an inground swimming pool, authorities said.

Swimming Pool Collapse Buries Pool Contractor Luciano Gonzalez Munoz

The victim, a pool contractor identified as Luciano Gonzalez Munoz, 45, died as he was digging a swimming pool wall for a project that he was working on , according to Supervising Deputy Coroner Larry Esslinger.

Firefighters had to bring in an outside commercial construction company with a massive crane in order to help them haul out tons of dirt and debris from the backyard in the 6200 block of Cliffway Drive.

Orange FD confirms a worker died after he was buried under soil that collapsed on him while working in hole excavated to install a backyard swimming pool on Cliffway Drive. About 75 personnel are on scene attempting to recover the body. Story coming. @ocregister

— Nathan Percy (@NDPercy) December 19, 2020

Early Sunday morning, experts brought in the crane attached to a 3,000 pound rectangular steel drum. Workers then used the drums to scoop out enough dirt in order recover the mans body. The huge crane itself blocked off most of the street for hours and left the entire area congested with police and fire vehicles.

The man was buried midmorning while building a pool wall on Saturday. O’Connor said firefighters got an emergency 9-11 call about a man trapped in a collapsed pool at the home just before 11 a.m. By the time they arrived, other workers were already at the site desperately trying to dig out the man. The victim was buried up to his neck complained of having difficulty breathing.

Concerned about the unstable soil of the cliffside, the firefighters evacuated workers, then began digging themselves. Approximately 30 minutes later, a second collapse caused the victim to be completely buried. After several hours without being able to communicate with the man, the fire crews switched the operation from a rescue to a body recovery. Coroner’s officials and Cal OSHA were investigating.

O’Connor said the fire department had trauma counselors on standby to talk to the man’s coworkers and boss who immediately came to the job site. The unfortunate homeowners, were also apparently home throughout the entire ordeal, were also visited by the crisis counseling team.

Nilson Silva owner of Mastertouch Pools, a Parkland, FL based Pool Company – has fast become recognized as one of the industries leading pool designers. This incredible 3D entry showcases his adept ability and mastery of the industry standard in 3D rendering – Pool Studio. An expert at inground pool design and one of leading Parkland, FL pool builders, Nilson has been designing pools since his teens.

As a serial entrepreneur, Nilson is also an accomplished software designer. He recently created and released a Pool Service software that has taken social media by storm. The app called Routely is available for download in the iTunes store and has been downloaded and used by thousands of pool service companies across the country.

It’s an impressive resume that the young Parkland, FL native has developed. Not only running a successful and thriving pool company, but also releasing a hot new app that has developed fast adaptation and a loyal userbase.

Silva is being watched closely by industry experts who can’t help but to convey astonishment that he is wunderkind of sorts. His prowess as one of the industries leading pool designers is undeniable. This entry to Pool Designers – TOP Pool Designer competition symbolizes the sleek, elegant and sophisticated pool concepts being built in Parkland, FL today.

When asked why he has a passion for 3D design as his chosen art form, Silva replied:

It’s clear that this Parkland, FL pool builder has the innate ability to capture the essence of the outdoor lifestyle homeowners are looking for. Locals seem to love his pool designs as this has been without a doubt one of the companies busiest years to date. When asked if he attributes the success to the Covid-19 pandemic as many other local builders have, Silva replied “You know it’s funny because in our case, it’s been more sales from referrals from past clients this year than anything else. I feel like our success this year is mostly derived from the fact that homeowners in Parkland are starting to spread the word.”

Certainly an incredible entry by one of the most talented pool designers in Florida. View more great examples from hot new pool designers in Florida.

Parties interested in participating in Pool Magazine’s TOP Pool Designer competition should visit PoolDesigners.com who are administering the competition on behalf of Pool Magazine. Artists interested in participating in the competition can submit a 3d rendering or video for consideration as a candidate for Top Pool Designer. The winner receives a year long subscription to 3D Rendering Software Pool Studio as well as having their design showcased on the cover of Pool Magazine.