Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County Work To Recover From Chantal’s Rains

COMMUNITY NEWS

CHAPEL HILL –Tropical Storm Chantal, now a Tropical Depression, has left the Triangle area to deluge Virginia. However, Tuesday’s weather predictions for the rest of the week say we should prepare for more rain and thunderstorms. It could be as much as a half-inch to an inch each day. No big deal usually, but now it’s falling on roads, soil and drainage systems that Chantal has inundated.

Numerous families were evacuated from Camelot Village apartments across from University Mall Sunday evening into Monday morning. Shown here, residents begin cleaning up as flood waters began to recede Monday. Photo by Randy B. Young

Tropical Storm Chanal made landfall Sunday morning in South Carolina. It downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved north but it still wreaked havoc on Orange County, dumping 8 to 10 inches of rain on the area.

Orange County reported more than 60 water rescues, with most occurring in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
One missing person and five injury cases as of Monday afternoon.
Multiple roads in Carrboro and Chapel Hill are closed, some of them for an extended period.
As of Monday, 89 people had sought shelter. Orange County opened Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill Monday as a shelter for anyone who isn’t safe staying at home, and will keep it open as long as necessary.
Carrboro’s Public Works facility flooded, ruining not only the building but the trash trucks and police cars there.

As of Monday morning, more than 17 roads remain closed due to flood damage, with multiple reports of damage to roads, structures, and bridges. Orange County Emergency Services is urging all residents to stay off the roads unless travel is absolutely necessary.

In addition to the risk of further rain, the area is still experiencing sweltering heat. Thousands of residents have no power and, therefore no air conditioning. The Red Cross says extreme heat kills more people than any other weather event. The agency recommends wearing loose clothing, drinking plenty of water and, if your power is down, finding somewhere to go where the air conditioning works.

Finding shelter

On Sunday night, 59 residents were sheltered at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill. Starting Monday afternoon, Orange County opened a shelter at Smith Middle School on Seawell School Road in Chapel Hill. You can bring your pets to stay in the shelter with you, but there are conditions:

Pets may be housed in a separate area from their owners.
Residents must bring proof of complete vaccination for their pets.
A photo of the owner with the pet is required.
Bring a supply of your pet’s food.

If you need transportation to reach the shelter, please call 919-245-2004. If you’re in Chapel Hill, call 919-968-2743.

Officials from Orange County Emergency Services manned the shelter at Chapel Hill’s Smith Middle School for those displaced by Chantal’s stormwaters Sunday and Monday. Photo by Randy B. Young

Tuesday updates

Carrboro says despite the damage, residential solid waste collection starts up again Tuesday, July 8, with the Monday collection route. The dumpster collection will resume July 8. Collections may be delayed compared to the usual timetable, due to the loss of the trucks parked at Public Works. Staff are looking for ways to adapt to the loss of the trucks; Chapel Hill, for instance, has provided a front-loader truck for dumpster collection.

Neighboring local governments have loaned vehicles to the Carrboro Police Department. Don’t be surprised if you see Carrboro cops driving cars from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and other outside agencies.

Carrboro’s town staff are conducting damage inspections around town. If you have non-emergency damage to report, use Orange County’s online form. If you need help cleaning up damage, contact Crisis Cleanup. They connect you with local volunteers who can help.

Despite the flooding, Carrboro and Chapel Hill are not under a “boil water” advisory. You can use tap water as you usually do. However, you should avoid contact with surface water, including creeks and streams, while OWASA continues repairing sewer-line breaks.

Chapel Hill has announced that Eastgate Crossing is closed to through traffic; the Bolin Creek Trail is closed between Umstead and Bolinwood Drives; and several parks and recreation facilities are temporarily closed. Those are Umstead Volleyball Courts, the Community Center Inclusive Playground and the Strowd Rose Garden.

School spirit

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School district has announced all summer programs and community use of school facilities are back on as of Tuesday, July 8. The county’s free meal delivery service for all enrolled students, and for anyone 18 or younger, also resumes Tuesday. The service runs Monday through Thursday until Aug. 7, at these locations and times:

Craig Gomains Apartments (Craig, Gomains, Edwards, Sykes and Bynum Street): 10:15 a.m.
Oakwood Apartments (605 Oak Avenue in Carrboro): 11 a.m.
Airport Gardens Apartments (now across the street, in the grassy area of the Chapel Hill Police parking lot): 11:45 a.m.
Colony Woods Apartments (Legion Road, Jackie Robinson Street, and Adelaide Walters Street): 12:30 p.m.
South Estes Apartments (now at the front entrance to the complex): 1:15 p.m.

If you want to help

If you’re not in crisis mode and want to be there for those who are, turn to the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster. The NCVOAD website can connect you with organizations that need volunteer labor to help clear debris, gut flooded homes and other forms of sweat donation. There’s also a list of organizations taking donations. You can search for organizations by location or by name.

If you want to donate, Carrboro recommends looking at those nonprofits. Giving money is a quick, easy way to help, makes it easier for organizations to offer help and cash is flexible, adapting to many different needs. Carrboro says material donations can be overwhelming as they require space and personnel to handle. Only make in-kind donations if an organization requests explicitly certain goods.

The new inclusive playground was closed on Monday at the Chapel Hill Community Center, where damage assessment and clean-up were beginning. Next door to the playground, Stroud Rose Garden was overrun and devastated by rising stormwaters Sunday evening. Photo by Randy B. Young

Debris littered Umstead Park, surrounding trails, and sand volleyball courts and swept cars from the parking adjacent parking lot due to up to 9” of rain and rising stormwaters of Bolin Creek Sunday evening. Photo by Randy B. Young

In the parking lot of Eastgate Shopping Center off East Franklin Street, reminders of Sunday evening’s floods were still evident, including numerous vehicles that were damaged and remained swept from spaces Monday. Photo by Randy B. Young

Citizens had already begun the clean-up Monday at Chapel Hill’s Exchange Pool off Umstead Road, which was ravaged by Bolin Creek floodwaters Sunday evening and Monday. Photo by Randy B. Young

Cars were swept from the road and stacked like blocks by rising floodwaters off Friends School Road in eastern Orange County. Photo by Randy B. Young

Residual flooding from overflowing Bolin Creek still lingered at Hillsborough Townhomes off Bolinwood Drive in Chapel Hill. Photo by Randy B. Young

Fraser Sherman has worked for newspapers, including the Destin Log, the Pensacola News-Journal and the Raleigh Public Record. Born in England, he’d still live in Florida if he hadn’t met the perfect woman and moved to Durham to marry her. He’s the author of several film reference books and has published one novel and several short story collections. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocal Reporter.press