Chantal floods cause $56M in damages to Orange County buildings and businesses
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- Tropical Storm Chantal caused $56M in damage to Orange County structures.
- Only 19% of damaged residential properties had confirmed flood insurance.
- Over 30 Eastgate Crossing businesses remain closed during recovery efforts.
Tropical storm flooding caused an estimated $56 million in damages to homes, businesses and public property last week in Orange County, officials said Monday.
The numbers could grow as the county continues the assessment, spokesman Wil Glenn said.
The latest assessment says flooding from remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal displaced about 190 people and damaged roughly 210 homes and apartments. At least five homes were destroyed, and another 148 sustained major damage, county officials said.
The $56 million includes $20.7 million in commercial losses and $22.6 million in damages to public property, according to the county report.
The county’s report showed another $12.7 million in losses was estimated for residential properties, only about 19% of which had confirmed flood insurance, officials said. It’s still unknown whether 68% of the damaged residential properties are insured, they said.
The county submitted a local damage assessment to the N.C. Emergency Management office on Thursday. That’s required for state and federal disaster declarations, which could help residents and business owners get low-interest, small business loans.
The county is expected to qualify for state and federal disaster declarations, and a joint preliminary damage assessment with local, state and federal officials and the Small Business Administration is scheduled for Tuesday.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is expected to submit a declaration request to the federal government this month, followed by a Federal Emergency Management Agency recommendation to President Donald Trump, who can approve or deny the request.
The governor can appeal the decision if federal help is denied.
Flooding, emergency calls, and 14 injured
Chantal was not expected to hit Orange County quite as hard as it did, local officials and business owners said, but the county got between 5 and 10 inches of rain in just a few hours on July 6, which caused significant flash flooding.
The county still has 22 properties to assess for damage and is continuing to provide help with residential flood damage, the report said. A Long-Term Recovery Group will be formed to deal with the situation as it evolves.
In all, 7,953 people called Orange County 911 about weather-related incidents during and after the July 6 storm, the report said. 911 operators dispatched emergency personnel to 2,054 calls, including 70 water rescues, eight collapsed structures, 75 traffic accidents, and 149 electrical hazards or water in structures or blocking the road, it said. Fourteen people were injured.
In Chapel Hill, Eastgate Crossing shopping center and University Place mall, along with apartment complexes on South Estes Drive and downstream homes were hit especially hard. Over 60 people were evacuated that night from flooded homes and apartments.
Many remain in temporary housing, including at local hotels, officials said.
Major flooding damage also was reported in Carrboro, Hillsborough, Mebane and the northern part of the county, where a Person County woman was killed on the way to work when floodwaters swept her car from a rural road.
The storm left Hillsborough residents under boil-water and conservation advisories. In Mebane, a lack of clean water closed businesses and prompted water relief deliveries. The city has restored water service, but major repairs are still needed, officials said.
Chapel Hill businesses, employees affected
Preliminary estimates from the hardest-hit areas in Chapel Hill put storm damages at these amounts, a town spokesperson said late Monday afternoon.
- Eastgate Crossing/Mariakakis Plaza/University Place — $17 million
- Parks and Recreation (mainly trail damage) — $5.9 million
- Camelot Village — $3.2 million
- Town public housing communities (South Estes Drive. and Airport Gardens) — $500,000
Businesses began to reopen last week at University Place mall, but it could take a few weeks to several months for Eastgate Crossing shopping center tenants to recover.
Over 30 retailers and restaurants remain closed at Eastgate Crossing, while many of them wait for drywall and carpet to be replaced and for insurance to tell them if they are covered.
The flooding has left many employees without a job, prompting residents and some small, local business owners to launch fundraisers.
Guglhupf owner Sean Scott said his Chapel Hill location in Eastgate was a total loss, putting 10 employees out of work and cutting bread and pastry production at the Durham bakery in half He was forced to reduce the hours for another 15 bakery employees, he said.
“They are receiving a paycheck this week but we’re still finding out from insurance if they’re going to cover business interruption as we have that coverage. We’re trying to be proactive and assume they won’t,” Scott said in an email Monday.
He noted that unemployment assistance is available to fill the gaps, “but that’s not enough to live on so we’re trying to fill the gap to keep them whole.” Guglhupf is planning a daylong fundraiser Saturday at its Durham store on Chapel Hill-Durham Boulevard.
The storm also affected over 100 crew members at Trader Joe’s, a company spokesperson said in an email. All of them have been offered the chance to work in another Trader Joe’s store until the Chapel Hill store reopens, spokesperson Nakia Rohde said.
Only a few business owners were on site Monday afternoon. Chase Taylor, who owns Birkenstock with his father, James Taylor, was putting salvaged boxes of shoes into a truck behind the empty store. They’re just taking it step by step and trying to keep their five employees on the job, Chase Taylor said.
“The goal is to stay and rebuild,” he said.
David Zonca, whose wife Amal owns a local franchise of Waxing the City, said they have the same goal. They’re encouraging customers to visit the Cary store, so they can keep paying the roughly dozen employees who work at the Eastgate store, he said.
Waxing the City had business interruption insurance to pay the bills in case the store had to close for an emergency, but it apparently doesn’t cover floods, Zonca said. Another Waxing the City franchisee in Apex has started a GoFundMe campaign to help.
“We don’t want to lose our good employees. We don’t want to see them [suffer] any adverse effects, Zonca said.
The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro has set up a website for local businesses with information about insurance, cleanup and recovery at carolinachamber.org/recover.
What businesses are open, closed?
▪ Eastgate Crossing: Only Chopt, T-Mobile, Chipotle, and School of Rock are open right now. Parking is limited to leave room for work crews and equipment and delivery trucks.
▪ University Place: Stoney River and Silverspot Cinema sustained the most flood damage and could remain closed for a while. Other stores that are closed: WakeMed 365, Chase Bank, First Horizon Bank, Style Brows Threading Studio, and The Soap and Shine.
Where to get your mail
The U.S. Post Office at South Estes Drive will be closed for at least a month after being flooded.
Customers can pick up mail from their P.O. box or find other services at the Post Office at Timberlyne shopping center on Weaver Dairy Road. 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.
Questions can be directed to the Carrboro Post Office at 1500 W Main St. in Carrboro, or call the Post Office at 800-275-8777.
Latest Carrboro storm updates
Flooding left dozens of town residents seeking shelter after being rescued from damaged homes and apartments.
It also damaged five of seven solid-waste trucks, about 90% of the town’s Public Works equipment, and roughly 60% of the town’s other vehicles, including about 15 police cars.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Chapel Hill Police Department provided temporary public safety vehicles to the Carrboro department, officials said. Surrounding towns also loaned trucks to the town so it could restart waste collection, they said.
It could take eight to 18 months for the town to get new equipment, spokeswoman Catherine Lazorko said last week. The town also is waiting to hear back about its insurance coverage.
The N.C. Department of Insurance will hold pop-up events Wednesday in affected Carrboro neighborhoods to answer questions and share information about how to avoid being scammed, Lazorko said Monday. The events will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the Weatherhill Pointe neighborhood and from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Canterbury Townhomes neighborhood.
Keep up with town updates at https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3029.
Latest Hillsborough storm updates
Hillsborough lifted its boil-water advisory and water conservation request late last week, after getting the flooded water treatment plant back online. The town bought water from the city of Durham during the emergency, and also established a bypass pump system at the River Pump Station to bring sewage to the Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing.
Several sewer overflows were reported into the Eno River, Cates Creek, Strouds Creek and unnamed tributaries in the Neuse River Basin starting July 7, officials said. The town accounted for 188,000 gallons of untreated but diluted sewage that was discharged from two locations, but the final amount is not yet known, town officials said.
Damage to the River Pump Station could take more than a month to repair, they said.
One-third of the town’s public works vehicles and equipment also were damaged. The fleet maintenance operations team was able to save six flooded vehicles, officials said, and a borrowed truck from Durham County and a leased one from Florida are collecting brush and bulk items..
Work is also continuing to renovate and expand the town’s N.C.y 86 North Facility, which could prevent future damage, officials said. The new facility will house public works, fleet maintenance, and safety and risk operations, plus covered parking for oversized town vehicles.
Some areas will remain closed to the public for several weeks and have been marked with cones, barricades and caution tape.
▪ Gold Park: Crews are drying out and sanitizing restrooms that were flooded with about 6 feet of water, replacing damaged fencing and play surfaces, and clearing the parking lot and paved trails. The work could take several weeks, officials said.
▪ Riverwalk: Structural engineers are evaluating bridges, some of which are missing decking and railing, and trees, mud and debris are blocking many sections of the trail. Large boardwalk sections also need to be replaced, town officials said.
▪ Kings Highway Park: The park, which sits on the banks of the Eno River, suffered significant flooding and will need to be cleared and repaired.
What to do with construction debris
Orange County Solid Waste has waived tipping fees for construction and demolition waste from homes and businesses affected by the flooding. The fee waiver will be in place through Aug. 9.
Debris can be dropped off at the Orange County Disposal Center at 1514 Eubanks Road in Chapel Hill. The center is open from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, and from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday.
Household trash should be dropped off at the Eubanks Road convenience center.
Learn more about materials accepted at the Construction and Demolition waste center at https://www.orangecountync.gov/957/Disposal-Operations.
Ways to help with the recovery
Orange County has set up a Community Giving Fund to help victims of Tropical Storm Chantal, and there are also numerous GoFundMe campaigns and fundraisers. Here are a few resources to get you started:
▪ Community fund: The Tropical Storm Chantal Community Giving Fund supports recovery across the county. Donors can choose where their money goes: general needs, small businesses and employees, housing assistance, health and human services, natural and cultural resources, infrastructure repair, and the Orange County Arts Commission. More information: https://www.orangecountync.gov/3730/Tropical-Storm-Chantal-Donations
▪ Benefit Bash: Guglhupf is holding a Bake and Rebuild Bash on July 19 at its Durham store, located at 2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. It will be an all-day event to support Guglhupf employees and other businesses, with music starting at noon. Guglhupf owner Sean Scott said goods and services are needed for the auction and raffle. Email sean@guglhupf.com to help out.
▪ Business support: A list of fundraisers for local, small businesses can be found at bit.ly/m/SupportSmallBizAfterChantal.
▪ More opportunities: The News & Observer has a long list of fundraisers and other contacts for donations and volunteer efforts at newsobserver.com/news/local/article310212190.html.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM.
