Flooding victim planned only brief visit to check on cat
Rachael Haber, the 32year-old woman who was trapped and drowned Tuesday night, only intended to stay a few minutes when she stopped by the basement apartment of a traveling friend to check on her pet cat.
“I’m sure she was down there trying to take care of the cat and get the cat out,” her husband Sean Haber said, describing his wife as one of the kindest, most intelligent people he had ever known.
In a statement, the city of Englewood said the flood that killed Haber was a 100-year event, with an estimated 2.5 inches of rain falling in the area in 30 minutes.
The storm was localized and remained over the area until the cooling effect of the rain created wind to move it along, National Weather Service meteorologist Russell Danielson said.
Haber was found after concerned residents in an upstairs unit called police. Officers, including one who is nearly 7 feet tall, found Haber in water that had reached the ceiling of the basement.
On Thursday, Sean Haber said he has trouble understanding how his wife could be taken away so quickly in such an unexpected way, especially when other parts of the Denver area did not get any rain.
Haber said his wife, who often worked late to help patients, recently got a master’s degree in business and planned to go into hospital administration and advocate for people dealing with the complicated health care system.
Abigael Froelich, a friend of the woman who lives in the basement apartment, spent Thursday morning with other women clad in knee-high rain boots sorting through soaked and stained items.
They were looking for anything salvageable in the water-logged unit, where leaves and other debris still stuck to the walls and ceiling. Drying mud coated the patterned tile on the rear landing and stairs.
“It’s devastating down there,” Froelich said, her voice quivering. “You walk down and you feel completely overwhelmed.”
Froelich, 28, said tenant Kembra Allen was visiting family in California and could not get back immediately. Allen described Haber as her best friend and asked Haber to look after Samson, Froelich said. The black-and-white cat also died in the flooding.
The Associated Press was not able to immediately reach Allen.