Heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal forced dozens of people to flee their homes across central North Carolina, prompting water rescues, road closures, and power outages that continued into Monday.
Officials said the Chapel Hill Fire Department and neighboring agencies conducted more than 50 water rescues Sunday and Monday. Many rescues took place in apartment complexes where rising floodwaters entered or threatened to enter homes.
Residents displaced by flooding
In all, more than 60 residents were displaced by the flooding. Additional rescues were carried out at shopping centers as floodwaters inundated businesses and parking lots. As of Monday morning, no injuries had been reported.
Authorities urged residents to stay off roads as crews continued assessing damage and searching for missing people.
Dam evacuation in Orange County
In Orange County, officials issued a voluntary evacuation overnight due to concerns about a possible failure of the Lake Michael Dam.
In Chatham County, Sheriff Mike Roberson warned in a social media post that although water had receded in some areas, it remained dangerous to travel.
Flooding also forced the closure of all lanes of Interstate 85 and Interstate 40 near Durham. The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the highways were expected to reopen within 24 to 48 hours.
Rivers break flood records
According to the National Water Prediction Service, the Eno River crested early Monday in Durham at 25.63 feet (7.81 meters), surpassing the previous record of 23.6 feet (7.19 meters). The Haw River reached 32.5 feet (9.91 meters) at the Town of Haw River, marking the second-highest level ever recorded there. Only Hurricane Fran in 1996 produced a higher crest.
The storm knocked out electricity to more than 34,000 customers statewide as of Monday morning, according to poweroutage.us.
Chantal weakens, more rain ahead
Chantal made landfall as a tropical storm near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, early Sunday before weakening to a tropical depression. As it continued moving northeast through the mid-Atlantic states Monday, forecasters warned that up to 6 more inches (15 centimeters) of rain could fall, raising the risk of additional flash flooding, especially northwest of the storm’s path.
The Weather Prediction Center also cautioned about dangerous surf and rip currents along the East Coast, from northeastern Florida to the mid-Atlantic, over the next few days.