2 missing after canoeing on lake as Tropical Storm Chantal struck North Carolina
The two men were seen launching their canoe from a boat ramp on Jordan Lake around 5 p.m. Sunday as the storm was dumping upward of 10 inches of rain in parts of the Tar Heel State, causing severe flooding across nearby Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham County.
The two have not yet been identified, but earlier reports indicated they may be brothers.
Advertisement
Chantal was south of Lake Jordan as the boaters took to the water, but headed straight toward them — and soon passed directly overhead.
4 One of numerous roads in Chatham County that was destroyed during Tropical Storm Chantal flooding on Sunday.
Chatham County Sheriffs Office
Their canoe was found that evening, prompting the Chatham County Sheriff's Office to launch a search-and-rescue operation, but no other sign of them has turned up since, WRAL reported.
Advertisement
'We are doing everything we can to bring these individuals home,' said Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson in a statement.
'Our hearts are with their loved ones during this difficult time, and we are grateful for the assistance from our neighboring agencies,' he added, with officials also cautioning that Jordan Lake can quickly become dangerous.
'You can get white caps on Jordan Lake. That water can get very choppy. It looks calm now, but it's treacherous,' said CCSO Chief Deputy Steve Maynor. 'There's debris in this water. Can't see it until you hit it. It knocks your boat over, or kayak. Can damage a motorboat. We ask that you stay out of it.'
The search for the missing canoers resumed Monday morning, with boats being dispatched to scan the lake for any signs of the brothers.
Advertisement
4 The Chatham County Sheriff's Office dispatched boats to sweep Jordan Lake for any sign of the missing canoers.
Chatham County Sheriffs Office
Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall in South Carolina as a tropical depression around 4 a.m. Sunday, and spent the day barreling up the heart of the Carolinas.
About two months' worth of rain was dumped in a matter of hours in some places, according to the Washington Post, leaving swaths of the unsuspecting countryside in chaos as rivers overflowed and tornadoes tore up trees and buildings.
Only one death has been reported so far after 83-year-old Sandra Portnoy Hirschman was found dead in her car in Chatham County. She apparently drove into floodwaters and was swept away, with her vehicle coming to a rest about 100 feet from the road, according to WTVD.
Advertisement
4 Stores and homes across Chapel Hill were swamped by the rainfall and flooding from Chantal Sunday.
AP
About 80 people had to be rescued from their homes by boat in Durham County when the Eno River overflowed, while dozens of evacuations were ordered throughout the region.
Orange County, where Chapel Hill is located, remains in a state of emergency as roads lay ruined and rivers and creeks continue to course dangerously as the floodwaters recede.
More than 100 roads have been flooded throughout the region, with many torn apart by the running waters and others covered in downed trees.
4 Chantal made landfall as a tropical depression early Sunday morning before heading toward Virginia and New Jersey.
AP
Chapel Hill saw severe flooding, with storefronts, homes and cars swamped in water.
Chantal began moving north through Virginia on Monday toward Washington, DC, Maryland and Delaware, and officials have cautioned that more flooding could be a danger across parts of its path.
New Jersey is also expected to see rainfall and winds from the storm beginning Monday, with up to 5 inches possible around Trenton and Princeton, NorthJersey.com reported.
Advertisement
Chantal is forecast to head out to sea over Delaware and southern New Jersey, but Long Island and Massachusetts' coast could still be struck by 40 mph winds.
The storm's damage comes less than a year after Hurricane Helene caused devastating flooding and more than 100 deaths across North Carolina and Appalachia.
Last week's torrential rains and flooding have left at least 95 people dead so far, officials said Monday.
With Post wires
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
Iona strengthens to Category 3 hurricane in central Pacific off southern Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) — Iona strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane several hundred miles south-southeast of Hawaii, but poses no threat to the islands, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday. Iona is one of two major weather systems in the central Pacific Ocean. In its latest advisory, the Miami-based center said Iona was about 790 miles (1,271 kilometers) off Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 km/h). Additional strengthening is forecast later on Tuesday, with steady weakening expected to begin by Wednesday. Hurricane Iona is the first named storm of the hurricane season in the central Pacific and emerged Sunday from a tropical depression. It continues to trek west over warm, open waters. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Keli is further south with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). It was about 960 miles (1,550 kilometers) southeast of Honolulu and was moving west at about 12 mph (19 kph). The administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency on Monday hosted a statewide conference call with all counties, during which the National Weather Service provided an assessment and status of the storms. 'All counties are monitoring,' agency spokesperson Kiele Amundson said in an email. Another indirect impact from the weather systems could be swells, but they are relatively small and moving westward and won't create anything significant, said Derek Wroe with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.. However, a large swell is headed toward Hawaii after being generated several hundred miles east of New Zealand. It's expected to arrive in Hawaii by Thursday, about the same time the storms pass the state. 'People might wrongly attribute the swell energy to be from these tropical systems, but they're actually not,' he said.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Child among 4 dead in Romania after a boat carrying 14 people capsizes in Danube Delta
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A child was among four people who drowned when a recreational boat capsized in a storm on the Danube Delta in Romania, naval authorities said on Tuesday. The vessel was carrying 14 people when the incident happened on Monday on the Sulina branch of the Danube, in Tulcea County, near the Black Sea. The Romanian Naval Authority said it happened in 'unfavorable weather conditions,' with strong winds and waves as high as 2 meters (6.5 feet). Ten survivors were taken to hospital, according to the area's Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. It six had been wearing life jackets and were able to reach the shore on their own. The names and nationalities of the casualties have not been disclosed. The Associated Press
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Flooding evacuates apartments, dog boarder in Fairfield County
LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) — Flash flooding hit a Lancaster business for the second time in 24 hours, prompting a social media plea for help. FIDO, the Finishing Institute for Dog Owners, located on the 1900 block of Granville Pike, had flood waters tear through the entire facility Sunday, prompting a fire department response as people and animals had to be rescued from inside the facility. According to officials on the scene, at least two people were still inside the building after storms hit the area Sunday afternoon, causing the nearby Fetters Run stream to overflow and the water to pour into the FIDO facility. Water levels rose to waist-high at some parts of the building, as seen by a water line on a fence outside the building. Flash flooding strands employees, submerges vehicles at Groveport golf course FIDO evacuated all dogs from its daycare, boarding and training facility Saturday night because of mild flooding. On Sunday, the rain came back wth a vengeance, flooding the building in about two minutes, according to those who responded to the scene. The Lancaster Fire Department responded to a 911 call and arrived to successfully evacuated the building. No one was injured during the rescue, with officials saying the dogs were evacuated safely. One employee at the scene was working to rescue dogs from inside the building when firefighters arrived. One dog, Scooby, is reported missing after biting a firefighter and running off, according to the dog's owner. Debris that washed up against the building smashed part of the outside fence. Additionally, the force of the flood waters pushed a trash dumpster about 50 yards to the opposite side of the building. Owners whose dogs were staying at FIDO are asked to go to the Fairfield County Dog Adoption Center and Shelter, located at 1715 Granville Pike, Lancaster, to pick up their dog. The center is set to reopen Monday at 9 a.m. In addition to FIDO, the flooding also caused an apartment complex to evacuate when floodwaters caused damage to some of the units. 'It's just completely, everything's just so completely ruined,' resident Areal Miller said. 'All my daughter's artwork going back to her first sketchbook.' Multiple people who live in the complex said they had options on where to stay Sunday night. Some said they dealt with minor flooding from Saturday's storms, but that was mild compared to Sunday's rain. One resident sat at the top of his driveway, watching his motorcycle and hoping it would start once the water receded. Approximately 50 residents were affected at the complex. 'When it rains, we like to come out and we see how high the creek gets, but it never, never, last night was the first night that water actually ever came into the house,' Miller said. 'It rained pretty hard before, and the water cascades down this road here to where it will flood the bottom of my door here. I took one of those little cushy things you put in your door to keep the weather out, right? It wasn't stopped by it. It just blew it away.' Residents are at a loss as to what to do next as they've never dealt with flooding like this before. The American Red Cross has set up a shelter at the YMCA, 465 West 6th Street, Lancaster, for those affected by the flood. In addition, the flooding affected several roads, businesses, and medical facilities, including Fairfield Medical Center's urgent care on Main Street. The facility was closed all day Sunday after the parking lot flooded with water from Baldwin Run Stream, which runs adjacent to the parking lot. A short distance away, the Kroger supermarket also closed after the water flooded its parking lot, leaving behind a muddy sludge. The water threatens to return with the next downpour. 'The ground, saturated, can't take any more water,' Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency Director Jon Kochis said. 'All the drainage leads to these creeks and they just rise up quickly and they recede quickly.' Kochis and Lancaster Fire Department Chief Slade Shultz worked nonstop Sunday, going from one call to the next. They've seen country roads that looked more like rivers flowing into cornfields on Coonpath Road, and waist-high water at FIDO. 'Animals, they don't understand what's going on,' Schultz said. 'They're scared. They don't know that we're there to help them sometimes, so that can be dangerous for the responders and for the employees at the same time. It's a similar circumstance when we rescue animals inside a burning building.' This presents a unique challenge for first responders. 'They might try to nip at you or bite because they're just trying to be defensive,' Schultz said. 'So that can be a challenge, but we were able to get all the animals out safely.' The EMA said flooding like this is dangerous, and being prepared can mean life or death. 'Being aware is the most critical thing,' Kochis said. 'And then having a plan. What am I going to do? Who am I going to communicate with and my family about where I'm going to go, what I'm going to do?' Water rescues and flooding have become the norm for Lancaster firefighters over the last two days, some of them preventable. 'A lot of flooded cars, a lot of stranded cars this week,' Kochis said. 'Just, there's no sense in if you see water, you shouldn't drive through it. That's it.' Kochis urges everyone to stay home in the event of a flood and stay away when they hear about bad flooding, unless they are fleeing a flood situation. A flash flood warning from the National Weather Service expired at 9:50 p.m. Sunday; however, the service issued a flood advisory until 8:30 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
