‘The Pool is Caving In’ – Condo Collapse Victim Told Husband

It’s been a few days since the tragic collapse of an entire section of The Champlain Tower, a residential condominium near Miami, Florida. Workers and rescuers are still sifting through the rubble and trying desperately to reach any survivors who may still be trapped. Officials and engineers are still trying to isolate the direct cause of the failure and find out exactly what caused the deadly incident.

Ashley Dean awaits along with many other families to hear the ultimate fate of her little sister Cassie Stratton. In a recent interview with Sky News, Dean revealed the exact nature of the last conversation Stratton had with her husband Michael Stratton immediately before the building collapsed and the call was cut off. The haunting words of Ashley Dean convey the deep sadness and frustration the families who await the news of the fate of their loved ones feel.

‘The Pool Is Caving In’ victim told Husband

Dean says at precisely 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning, her sister Cassie was speaking with her husband Michael Stratton on her balcony. Dean said, “She was on the phone with her husband and it was a little after 1 in the morning and she says ‘Honey, the pool (deck) is caving in. The pool (decks) sinking in.’ and he said ‘What are you talking about?’; ‘The pool (deck)… it’s sinking in the ground. The ground is shaking, everything is shaking. Then she screamed a death curdling scream and the phone hung up and we’ve never been able to find her ever again.”

As of June 27th, we’ve updated this report to reflect that it was at first incorrectly reported that Cassondra Stratton saw the swimming pool cave in; it was the pool deck she actually saw caving in, not the actual swimming pool itself.

Her haunting story is merely one of many as over 159 people still remain unaccounted for in Thursdays tragedy. FEMA will be providing additional aid to the disaster site. Governor Rick DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Miami-Dade county on Thursday, which allowed President Biden to approve emergency FEMA aid.

The official death toll now stands at 4 people, with 120 people accounted for. An investigation is ongoing and rescuers are still frantically working to reach any survivors who may still be trapped underneath debris.

Experts are worried about the structural integrity of surrounding buildings in the local area. A 2018 report found numerous structural problems in The Champlain Towers building which required immediate repairs. The condo has been applying for recertification while it was attempting to address issues of a water leak from the pool area into the garage.

“There was standing water all over the parking garage,” a contractor, who asked not to be named, told the Miami Herald. The pool contractor mentioned cracking concrete and severely corroded rebar under the pool. (Updated June 28th, 2021)

Were Pool Leaks A Sign of Major Structural Damage?

Solving the leak however reportedly involved major work and would have cost millions of dollars. The recertification The Champlain Towers was undergoing was part of a standard process for similar buildings of it’s age. A law was put into place in 1974 after a similar collapse occurred at the DEA Building which killed 7 people.

An engineer named Frank Morabito of Surfside, FL conducted a survey on the building in 2018 and told the New York Times that the waterproofing below the pool deck and entrance drive was failing, “causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas.” His report indicated that “failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially.”

“My sister told me about all sorts of water leaks and people on her roof with heavy equipment,” said Dean, whose hope that her sister might remain alive is quickly fading with each day that passes. “I have to be realistic; my baby is gone, my baby sister is gone.” said Dean who expressed frustration and anger in addition to her grief.

“I want to know how this could happen and who is responsible? She was living in a dream place but it was a death trap.” said Dean.

Her words echo the sentiment of many other families who want to know how such a thing could have occured and what will be done to prevent future tragedies such as the one which occured at The Champlain Towers.

Barry Cohen, a resident of the building, escaped with his wife and described cracks around the pool deck prior to the collapse. He wonders whether neighboring construction may have caused vibrations that might have weakened Champlain Towers.

Recovery operations are expected to take weeks and the complete story of what caused the collapse and who may be responsible is still unfolding.

Featured Photo Credit: ABC News