Chapel Hill flood closes Estes Drive post office. Here’s where to get your mail.
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- Flooding on Estes Drive shut down Chapel Hill's main post office last week.
- Mail services and P.O. Boxes relocated to Timberlyne Post Office on Weaver Dairy.
- Orange County reported $31.7M in damages across 123 flood-impacted properties.
Chapel Hill business and residents were left unable to retrieve their mail when floodwater filled the post office on South Estes Drive last week near University Place mall.
Yellow tape still blocked off the entrance Monday. There was no sign on the door telling people where to go to mail their packages and bills, or to pick up their mail.
Repairs to the Estes Drive post office are expected to last at least a month, USPS spokesman Philip Bogenberger said Monday in an email. Most packages were delivered before the storm hit, but other mail was damaged when the post office flooded, he said.
Affected customers should get a notification if their mail was damaged, Bogenberger said.
Customers with P.O. boxes will be able to get their mail at the Timberlyne Post Office at 1129 Weaver Dairy Road in Chapel Hill until the Estes Drive post office reopens, he said. The Timberlyne post office is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
▪ Customers with P.O. boxes will need to bring identification that shows their personal address or their connection to the organization that owns the P.O. box, such as a business card or company credit card.
▪ Customers who need to speak with a supervisor about mail holds, missing mail and other issues can contact the Carrboro Post Office at 1500 W Main St. in Carrboro, or call the Post Office at 800-275-8777.
The Carrboro Post Office is handling mail delivery that usually routes through Estes Drive, Bogenberger said. Drop shipments can also be made in Carrboro at 1500 W. Main St. from 5-7 a.m. and 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
County accounts for damages
The flooding displaced about 190 residents and caused damage to roughly 210 homes and apartments, Orange County officials said in an updated estimate Monday. At least five homes were destroyed, and another 148 suffered major damage, they said.
Roughly $56 million in damages was reported across the county, including $20.7 million in commercial losses and $22.6 million in damages to public property, according to a county report.
Roughly $12.7 million in losses was estimated for residential properties, only about 19% of which were confirmed to have flood insurance, officials said. The status of insurance for about 68% of the residential properties is unknown, they said.
County officials submitted a local damage assessment to the N.C. Emergency Management office on Thursday.
The county expects to qualify for state and federal disaster declarations, and a joint preliminary damage assessment with local, state and federal emergency management officials and the Small Business Administration is scheduled for Tuesday, officials said.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 11:25 AM.
