Chantal displaces Carrboro residents, damages town facility. Where things stand
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- Tropical Depression Chantal flooded Carrboro, damaging 90% of Public Works gear.
- Floodwaters destroyed key vehicles, delaying services and displacing residents.
- Carrboro borrowed equipment and vehicles as recovery efforts and leasing begin.
Flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal damaged vehicles, equipment and furniture at Carrboro’s Public Works facility and displaced dozens of town residents.
The town posted on Facebook that the storm destroyed or damaged
Five of seven solid-waste trucks
About 90% of the Public Works Department’s equipment, including a backhoe, skid steer, mini excavator zero turn mowers and a gator
About 60% of the passenger-vehicle fleet (light pickups, cars and SUVs that carry equipment and employees)
About 15 police vehicles, one-third of the fleet
The facility sustained extensive damage when over 3 feet of water entered the building at N.C. 54 and Smith Level Road.
Employees had to give up moving vehicles to higher ground when the water rushed in, Public Works Director Kevin Belanger said.
“Previously, I think the highest event [we] ever had [was] about an inch of water in the bays,” he said. “In this event, we had 3 1/2 feet of water.”
Police Chief Chris Atack said losing vehicles won’t affect operations, thanks to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office providing vehicles in the interim. The Chapel Hill Police Department is providing vehicles, as well. The town does not yet know how long it will take to replace its vehicles.
Sheriff’s Office public information officer Alicia Stemper said the department loaned three vehicles to Carrboro.
“Some equipment redundancy is essential in our line of work; we therefore expect to be able to meet the needs of our community, making adjustments if necessary,” Stemper wrote in an email.
Chapel Hill town spokesperson Alex Carrasquillo said the town provided one police vehicle, one front-loading truck that empties Dumpsters and an operator for the truck.
Sanitation services were delayed one day, but the town has now borrowed vehicles from nearby municipalities, Carrboro public information officer Catherine Lazorko wrote in an email.
Solid waste crews picked up trash and debris from the storm on Tuesday and Wednesday. The town will borrow solid waste vehicles for another week until new leased vehicles are delivered, Lazorko wrote Thursday. The town does not have a cost estimate for replacing those vehicles and equipment.
“The town of Carrboro is currently working on acquiring leases for the needed equipment,” Lazorko wrote. “The timeframe on purchase for new equipment could be eight to 18 months.”
Carrboro has insurance on the vehicles and buildings through the N..C. League of Municipalities. The town is still working to understand what costs insurance will cover, Lazorko wrote.
Residents rescued when creek rises
The town posted a video on Monday talking to residents about the damage. One resident, Josh Patzer, said the water came up to his knees. He tried to close the window where water was coming from, but the water blew his window off.
“I had to kind of duck into the water to get me and the cat out,” Patzer said.
Carrboro Fire Rescue evacuated about 100 residents at the Canterbury Townhomes and Weatherhill Pointe neighborhoods when Morgan Creek rose from 5 feet to over 16 feet between 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday, Lazorko wrote.
No serious injuries were reported, though 57 water rescues were made at the Weatherhill Pointe alone.
“Our state and local emergency management officials predicted 1 to 3 inches of rain, however we experienced significantly more rain and severe flooding,” Lazorko wrote.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM.
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