Latest news with #NorthCarolinians
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yomiuri Shimbun
A New Era of Floods Has Arrived. America Isn't Prepared.
Natalie Newman believed she had done everything she could to get ready for Helene. Before the hurricane carved a path of destruction across the Southeast in late September, she assumed it would be like other storms she'd experienced in five years of living in Asheville, North Carolina. So Newman took her usual precautions: packing a go-bag, stocking up on food, moving her car uphill from her apartment on the banks of the Swannanoa River. When Newman's phone buzzed with a flash-flood warning the night before the storm hit, she skimmed the text: 'This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.' Then the artist returned to the painting she was working on. The river was still at least 20 feet below her second-story apartment, and she hadn't received an evacuation order. If her home was no longer safe, Newman thought, surely officials would tell her to leave. But no order would come before the deadly floodwaters arrived at her door. From last year's disaster in Asheville to this month's catastrophic floods in Central Texas, the world has entered a new era of rainfall supercharged by climate change, rendering existing response plans inadequate. A Washington Post analysis of atmospheric data found a record amount of moisture flowing in the skies over the past year and a half, largely due to rising global temperatures. With so much warm, moist air available as fuel, storms are increasingly able to move water vapor from the oceans to locations hundreds of miles from the coast, triggering flooding for which most inland communities are ill-prepared. 'We're living in a climate that we've never seen, and it keeps throwing us curveballs,' said Kathie Dello, North Carolina's state climatologist. 'How do you plan for the worst thing you've never seen?' To understand why inland regions are so vulnerable to heavy rainfall, The Post compared the response to Helene in western North Carolina with that of Florida's Gulf Coast, where the storm hit first. The investigation, based on analysis of cellphone data and interviews with two dozen meteorologists, disaster experts and storm survivors, revealed how scant flood awareness and a lack of effective warnings led to far fewer evacuations in North Carolina's mountainous western counties. Yet it was in these inland areas that Helene wrought its greatest human toll. At least 78 people in North Carolina died in Helene's floodwaters, according to data from the National Hurricane Center – more than five times the number of people who drowned on the coast. The fact that many North Carolinians remained in harm's way was not the fault of any one person or institution, The Post found. Instead, it resulted from a cascade of decisions all stemming from the mistaken assumption that hurricanes are mainly a coastal threat – an assumption that fails to account for the increasingly destructive power of torrential rain. As Helene bore down on the Gulf Coast, years of investment and experience equipped officials there to take decisive action, issuing mandatory evacuation orders to move people out of risk zones well before landfall. But most counties in western North Carolina – including Buncombe, where Asheville is located – lack the most basic tool: flood evacuation plans. The state's official hurricane guide labels these areas as 'host counties,' places to which coastal evacuees should flee. Though the National Weather Service correctly predicted that the flooding would be deadly, the warnings from local authorities were not forceful or specific enough to sway residents who never imagined a hurricane could hurt them so far from the sea. Evacuation patterns reflected this preparedness gap: Cellphone data provided by researchers at Columbia University and analyzed by The Post shows a 36 percent spike in people leaving affected counties in Florida for areas beyond Helene's path in the four days before the storm hit. In contrast, movement out of the hardest-hit North Carolina counties didn't change much compared with a normal week. By the time Buncombe County made evacuation orders mandatory, deadly flash floods were already underway. This reconstruction of North Carolina's scramble during Helene reveals parallels with Central Texas and holds lessons for other inland areas facing increasingly intense freshwater floods – an oft-overlooked hazard that now accounts for more than half of all tropical-cyclone-related deaths in the United States. Like western North Carolina, the Texas Hill Country is a landscape of winding rivers and steep terrain that can quickly funnel heavy rainfall into a raging torrent. Forecasters had predicted that remnants of Tropical Storm Barry could collide with another storm system to inundate the flood-prone region, but authorities did not call for evacuations in the hardest-hit area, and warnings didn't reach many residents until it was too late for them to flee. Climate and weather experts say both disasters were exacerbated by Earth's rapidly warming atmosphere. The Post's atmospheric analysis shows that the roiling air mass that constituted Helene contained 42 percent more water vapor than any other observed in western North Carolina since 1940 – fueling a storm that obliterated the region's rainfall records. Another plume brought record levels of moisture to Texas during the July 4 floods. If Helene was a wake-up call, experts said, then Texas must be a screaming alarm – prompting more robust flood planning in communities across the country and new efforts to communicate a danger beyond anyone's imagination. 'Any given community can't know if it's going to be the next one that's going to have a flood that is orders of magnitude larger than the largest flood they've known,' said disaster researcher Rachel Hogan Carr, who co-chairs a World Meteorological Organization project aimed at improving flood warnings. 'But we must all know now that we should be prepared.' As Newman's social media feeds filled with news about the Texas floods – which have killed at least 135 people – she thought to herself: 'It's happening all over again.' Seeing homes turned to wreckage and hearing the tearful stories of survivors who said the warnings hadn't been clear, she was jolted back to the morning of Sept. 27, when Helene's floodwaters irrevocably upended her world. Alone in her apartment, Newman stayed awake until about 2 a.m., periodically looking out the window to check the height of the river. Everything still seemed like a typical Asheville storm. Prepared to wake up to power outages and minor flooding, she felt safe going to bed. She woke with a start less than two hours later, her skin tingling with fear. Newman hurried toward the window and peered into the darkness. The river had risen to 12 feet, swallowing the stairs leading down from her apartment. By that point, the Swannanoa was rising by nearly a foot every hour, according to a federally maintained gauge six miles downstream from Newman's apartment complex. Even though no official evacuation order had come, it was clear what she had to do, Newman thought to herself: 'I need to get the f— out right now. A worst-case scenario On Sept. 23, the storm that would become Hurricane Helene was barely more than a swirling disturbance in the Caribbean. But Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett could already tell it would be devastating for his marshy, low-lying county in Florida's Big Bend region. Fueled by record-hot conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, the storm was on a path to rapidly grow into a Category 4 monster capable of delivering unprecedented levels of rain. That evening, Padgett's office posted a Facebook message alerting residents that he planned to declare a countywide mandatory evacuation the following day. 'Please use this time to activate your evacuation plans and be ready to go,' it said. Officials across the state quickly followed suit. By the morning of Sept. 26, 12 hours before Helene made landfall, every oceanfront county along the storm path in Florida – 15 total – had called for mandatory evacuations. Padgett sought to underscore the danger facing those who stayed behind: 'Take a black Magic Marker, write your name, your Social Security number, everything on your arm,' in case first responders needed to identify people's bodies in the aftermath, he said on NBC. Those dire warnings had the intended effect, The Post found. To determine evacuation rates, The Post obtained cellphone mobility data for the 96 counties where at least 20 percent of eligible households applied for federal disaster aid. This allowed The Post to track movements between the worst-hit counties and those beyond the hurricane's path in the four days leading up to Helene's arrival. In Florida's eight most-affected counties, The Post found, roughly 105,000 people left for somewhere outside the storm zone – 38,000 more than during a calm period two weeks earlier. For Taylor County, where Helene ultimately made landfall, outbound movement surged by 78 percent. Though the floodwaters rose as high as 16 feet above ground level, 'high evacuation rates in those areas resulted in no reported storm surge deaths,' according to the National Hurricane Center. But in western North Carolina, travel out of the 16 hardest-hit counties remained flat, suggesting that most residents were hunkering down in the four days before the storm. Buncombe County, where 43 people were killed, saw a modest 12 percent increase in outbound movement. Meteorologists had been warning for days that a band of moisture being pushed into the region ahead of Helene could combine with the hurricane to produce devastating flash floods. 'It's a worst-case scenario,' Weather Service meteorologist Clay Chaney said in a webinar for local officials three days before the storm's arrival. 'This is going to be one for the record books.' The forecasts for Helene would turn out to be extraordinarily accurate. The lead times for flash-flood warnings and other hazard messages were among the longest in recent history, according to an analysis published by the National Hurricane Center this past spring. The Weather Service cannot order evacuations; in both North Carolina and Florida, that power lies with local and county officials. On Sept. 25, Buncombe County declared a state of emergency and closed parks and schools. By the following afternoon, authorities were imploring residents to 'self-evacuate' from areas close to rivers. But they did not make evacuations mandatory. Ryan Cole, the assistant emergency services director for Buncombe County, said the region's winding mountain roads were already messy from days of rain, and officials worried that requiring large numbers of people to move would only create chaos. Instead, local fire departments were deployed to flood-prone neighborhoods to encourage residents to flee. 'Even a mandatory evacuation is still a choice,' Cole said. 'We thought trying to get people to go with stronger words might be more beneficial.' It was an uphill battle, said Anthony Penland, fire chief for the town of Swannanoa, east of Asheville. His crews encouraged evacuations in a riverside mobile home community, where one man, saying he'd been fine in back-to-back hurricanes that struck the region in 2004, insisted he wouldn't be leaving. The firefighters emphasized that forecasts called for flooding worse than what had happened 20 years earlier. 'But nobody knew what 'worse' was,' Penland said. When he came across the viral clip of Padgett telling people to write their Social Security numbers on their arms, Penland marveled at the Florida sheriff's blunt rhetoric. 'I'm not that bold,' he thought to himself. Researchers who specialize in disaster communication say the most effective evacuation warnings are actionable and specific – like Padgett's message telling Taylor County residents where flooding was expected and when they would be required to leave the region. The Florida orders were also compulsory, which can persuade more people to flee a risky area, said Rachel Davidson, who studies evacuation behavior at the University of Delaware's Disaster Research Center. In surveys of thousands of hurricane survivors, she has found that inland residents name the absence of a mandatory evacuation order as their top reason for staying put. Yet inland officials are less likely to issue such an order, Davidson found. Even when they do, those living far from a coast are less likely to comply – probably because they don't perceive themselves as being at risk. Overall, inland residents are half as likely to evacuate from a hurricane as their coastal counterparts, Davidson's research shows. These obstacles to inland evacuations help explain why rain and river flooding in inland areas account for a growing proportion of hurricane deaths, experts said. A Post count based on data from the Weather Service found that freshwater flooding has caused 54 percent of all direct hurricane fatalities in the U.S. since 2013 – up from 27 percent between 1963 and 2012. Storm surge 'isn't the biggest killer anymore because people get out of the way,' said John Sokich, a veteran meteorologist and former director of congressional affairs for the Weather Service. 'That just hasn't happened yet inland.' Swept away Newman scrambled down the outdoor stairwell that led from her apartment, climbed over a railing and leaped over the rushing water onto a nearby embankment. On hands and knees, she clambered up the muddy slope to the road above, then ran to the car she'd left parked uphill. She heard the boom and spark of transformers blowing out along power lines, the crash of tree limbs splintered by the gale. She found refuge at a friend's house, where Newman changed into dry clothes and collapsed into a spare bed. Newman woke the next morning to find that a tree had fallen on her silver Toyota, crushing it like a soda can. The neighborhood had lost power, water and phone service. The streets were littered with debris. She went four days without knowing exactly what had happened to her apartment, until she finally found cell reception on top of a mall parking garage. As soon as her phone powered on, the Instagram messages came pouring in. All contained a video clip of a gray building being swept down river, accompanied by the same anxious question: 'Isn't this your home?' The video had been taken the morning of Sept. 27, just hours after Newman fled. Bit by bit, Newman began to piece together the story of what had happened to her apartment complex after she left. She learned from a YouTube video featuring Bonnie McKee, who lived in Newman's building, that police had come driving through the neighborhood around 5 a.m. on Sept. 27, shouting at people to leave. With the help of neighbors, McKee gathered her 1-year-old son, his grandmother and their three dogs, then swam to safety through floodwaters that were more than 20 feet deep. Buncombe County issued a mandatory evacuation order for people living along the Swannanoa about an hour and a half later. Some 12 miles upstream, water was pouring over the spillway at the North Fork Reservoir, suddenly adding to the already swollen river. Meanwhile, in a building at the other end of Newman's complex, two residents were trapped by the rising floodwaters. The pair was last seen standing on the balcony of a top-floor apartment around 11 a.m. Then, bystander videos show, the structure was lifted off its foundations and carried away by the torrent. The residents' bodies were found days later, buried in mud and debris. Newman wonders why the evacuation order wasn't issued earlier, so that her neighbors didn't end up fleeing through the storm – or becoming stranded inside it. 'The mandatory part probably would have hit harder,' she said. 'Maybe more people would have gone.' Inland and unprepared In hindsight, it's easy to question the decisions made in Buncombe and other inland counties, said Davidson, the University of Delaware researcher. But, she added, these regions often lack the planning and resources that allow their coastal counterparts to move thousands of people from risky areas before hurricanes arrive. 'It's not as simple as, once we have the forecast, we just tell people to leave and they leave and then we're done,' Davidson said. Almost all counties near the ocean have tiered systems to help emergency managers decide which regions should be evacuated, Davidson said. When a hurricane is in the forecast, coastal residents from Florida to Maine can enter their address into a 'Know Your Zone' map to determine whether they live in a designated evacuation area. Coastal emergency managers are also able to consult hurricane evacuation studies – in-depth analyses that help counties minimize chaos, prevent traffic jams and ensure that residents have time to safely flee. But North Carolina's study, which was last updated in 2016, does not consider the risks to inland areas. Meanwhile, the majority of North Carolina counties affected by Helene – including Buncombe – have no flood evacuation plan, The Post found in a review of regional reports submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At least one county opted to defer the development of an evacuation plan because regional disaster coordinators felt western North Carolina 'was not in immediate' need of one. Inland evacuations defy simple blueprints, said Cole, the Buncombe emergency services official – rather than simply moving people away from the coast, officials must direct them away from hard-to-predict flood zones, often over complex terrain. But the lack of planning slowed Buncombe County's response as Helene's deluge became catastrophic in the early hours of Sept. 27. When water poured over the North Fork spillway, officials found that the only maps of areas that could flood belonged to the water utility that runs the reservoir – and they were not clearly labeled, said Lillian Govus, Buncombe County's public information officer. 'We had to sit and pull up a digital map and go road by road comparing so we could say where the evacuation needed to be,' she said. Many in North Carolina are still haunted by last fall's catastrophe. Newman, now 30, finds herself dwelling on the choices she made that week: all those cellphone alerts she didn't take seriously, the way she shook her head at her neighbors who chose to evacuate. At the fire station in Swannanoa, Penland said, his firefighters still discuss the man who refused to flee his mobile home community – wondering, all these months later, if he made it through the storm. Penland himself has become bolder about the way he communicates danger. 'Heed those warnings,' he now urges anyone who will listen. 'Understand the toll it takes on our first responders when they don't know if you survived.' It isn't only North Carolina that must reckon with this new climate reality, said disaster researcher Carr, who also directs the flood risk communication nonprofit Nurture Nature Center. As the planet warms, studies suggest that more and more inland areas could experience rainfall as intense as Helene's – or worse. Helene's aftermath has provided a critical window, Carr added, since research shows that people are most willing to support stronger regulations and preparedness investments in the year following a major disaster. After the storm, Buncombe County began to develop new flood maps so that it would have clear visuals at the ready before the next disaster, Govus said. Researchers at the National Hurricane Center teamed up with FEMA to develop a course for emergency managers on responding to freshwater flooding and other inland hazards. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepared to launch a post-disaster health survey that would ask residents about the factors that prevented them from evacuating. But some of these efforts have been hampered by recent cuts to federal budgets and staff, experts said. John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said his team had to cancel some of its inland flood trainings because of limits on traveling to conferences. In April, the CDC abruptly axed its health survey after dismissing thousands of employees, Govus said, forcing Buncombe County to scramble to collect the data on its own. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programs aimed at improving disaster warnings are in limbo, said Lori Peek, who directs the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, after President Donald Trump proposed eliminating the agency's research office, which funds weather-related social science. 'The thought of people not getting that information – it's so hard to fathom,' Peek said. 'The cost we are going to pay is going to be in deaths and injuries.' NOAA's communications director, Kim Doster, said in an email that the agency was using temporary reassignments and other measures to 'stabilize frontline operations' at the Weather Service, which it oversees. The National Hurricane Center's public affairs director, Maria Torres, said in an email that the center 'is dedicated to its mission, and our dialogue with partners continues and remains unchanged.' Yet as another hurricane season gets underway, many experts are wondering whether officials will be able to communicate the flooding danger this year may bring. In May, the National Weather Service was scrambling to fill more than 150 key vacancies, said Tom Fahy, legislative director for the Weather Service's employees union. As of late June, 1 in 10 forecast offices was missing a warning coordination meteorologist – the staffer responsible for communicating forecasts and developing disaster plans. The Weather Service office near San Antonio – which oversees forecasts for the areas of the Texas Hill Country that flooded this month – is among the largest without anyone serving in that key role. 'Everything … was gone' When the roads to the Swannanoa River finally cleared, a friend offered to take Newman back to her old apartment complex. They arrived to find a wasteland of putrid yellow-brown mud. Only four wooden pillars tilting out of the earth indicated where her home had once stood. In the distance, Newman could see the wreckage of the structure where her neighbors had died. The rest of the buildings in the complex would soon be condemned. 'Everything from the before-times was gone,' she said. 'Like someone had taken their hand and wiped it all away like chalk.' But after days of searching through the debris, a friend spotted a glimmer of color peeking through the mud. It was a print of one of Newman's paintings, sodden and stained but still intact in its plastic sheath. Now the print sits framed in her new home – a testament to what she survived.
Malaysian Reserve
4 days ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
NCICU Applauds North Carolina's #1 Business Ranking, Thanks Lawmakers for Partnership
RALEIGH, N.C., July 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) today congratulated state leaders on North Carolina being named by CNBC as the #1 state for doing business in the nation. State leaders have praised the contributions of North Carolina's colleges and universities in building a world-class workforce. NCICU celebrates this accomplishment and the vital partnership of the state's private, nonprofit colleges and universities in developing North Carolina's talent pipeline and economic strength. 'North Carolina's recognition as the nation's top state for business is testament to the power of education and collaboration,' said Dr. A. Hope Williams, President of NCICU. 'Independent colleges and universities are proud to work together with the General Assembly and other state leaders to prepare the graduates who drive our economy forward. We appreciate our lawmakers' support of higher education and we remain committed to helping North Carolina continue to thrive.' Independent Colleges Drive Talent and Economic GrowthNCICU is the statewide office of the 36 private, nonprofit colleges and universities in North Carolina. NCICU institutions collectively enroll over 83,000 students from across the state, the nation, and the world. The organization's mission is to support, represent, and advocate for independent higher education in North Carolina. NCICU works closely with government, business, and community partners to ensure student success and to drive the talent and innovation that fuel North Carolina's economy. NCICU highlighted several ways in which its 36 campuses contribute to North Carolina's success: Workforce Talent: NCICU campuses award nearly one in four of all bachelor's degrees in North Carolina and one in three of all graduate and professional degrees. Professional Degrees: A majority of North Carolina's advanced professional degrees are from independent colleges, including roughly 60% of medical degrees, 65% of law degrees, 89% of physician assistant degrees, and 56% of pharmacy degrees statewide. Economic Impact: North Carolina's private colleges and universities collectively generate an economic impact of about $14.2 billion annually and employ over 66,000 North Carolinians, making the independent higher-education sector one of the state's largest private employers. Continuing a Strong PartnershipAs North Carolina builds on its #1 business ranking, NCICU looks forward to continuing its strong partnership with policymakers to sustain this momentum. NCICU also encourages collaboration on other important initiatives that strengthen education and communities. By working together, state leaders, independent colleges and universities and public higher education partners can continue to bolster educational opportunities and economic growth across all regions of the state. The state's recent #1 ranking underscores what is possible when there are strong public/private partnerships united toward a common goal. ABOUT NCICUNorth Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU) is the statewide office of private, nonprofit, liberal arts and research colleges and universities. NCICU supports, represents, and advocates for North Carolina independent higher education in the areas of state and federal public policy and on education issues with the other sectors of education in the state. It also raises funds through the Independent College Fund of North Carolina for student scholarships and enrichment experiences, provides research and information to and about private colleges and universities, conducts staff development opportunities and coordinates collaborative programs. Presidents of the colleges and universities comprise NCICU's Board of Directors. CONTACT: Demarcus Williams,
Newsweek
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Flood Warning Issued As North Carolina River Rises to 45 Feet
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Several rivers across North Carolina remain flooded on Thursday, including one river that was measured at 45 feet, amid torrential rains that have battered the East Coast for days. The flooding threat across the region could persist into the weekend as slow-moving thunderstorms continue to dump rain on the region, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski told Newsweek. Why It Matters This week's flood warnings mark the latest chapter in a period of intense rainstorms that have affected North Carolina, as well as much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Earlier in the week, heavy rain from Tropical Depression Chantal caused rivers to rise rapidly and flooding roads. The National Weather Service (NWS) has continued to monitor river levels and issue alerts as water moves downstream, with warnings covering both minor and moderate flood threats across several counties. Residents are reminded that flooding can become life-threatening, especially for drivers entering flooded roadways What to Know Flood warnings were in place for numerous rivers across North Carolina, including the Cape Fear River south of Fayetteville. The flooded Cape Fear River is seen on September 20, 2018, in Lillington, North Carolina. The flooded Cape Fear River is seen on September 20, 2018, in Lillington, North Carolina. Joe Raedle/Getty Authorities urged North Carolinians to avoid flooded roads and heed safety warnings. The agency further cautioned against walking near swollen riverbanks and emphasized the unpredictability and risks associated with rising water. Cape Fear River flooding Among the flooding rivers is the Cape Fear River at William O'Huske Lock and Dam 3, which was measured at 45.5 feet on Thursday morning. The floods will impact parts of Cumberland and Bladen counties. "At 45.0 feet, Flood waters will affect lowlands along the east bank of the river with some minor overflow along the west bank," the flood warning said. Flood stage occurs when the river reaches 42 feet. It will fall to 42 feet on Friday evening, the warning said. However, the river will then rise again to a crest of 43.5 feet on Saturday afternoon. Haw River flooding The Haw River in Alamance County recorded a stage of 21.5 feet at 8:45 a.m. EDT Thursday, exceeding the flood stage of 18.0 feet. The NWS forecast indicated the river would fall below flood stage late Thursday evening. At these heights, significant overflow on the right bank opposite the water treatment plant and flooding of Red Slide Park and Lang Street was expected. The Haw River also flooded near Bynum in Chatham County. Minor flooding began as the river reached a stage of 10.8 feet at 9:16 a.m. EDT, nearing the flood stage of 11.0 feet. The river was forecast to crest at 11.6 feet Thursday evening, with floodwaters spreading to 400 feet across, inundating pastureland and woodlands near the banks. Water levels were forecast to recede just after midnight. Lumber River flooding Farther south, the Lumber River near Lumberton continued rising following sustained rainfall. At 9:50 a.m. EDT, its stage was 15.8 feet, above the minor flood stage of 13.0 feet. The river was forecast to reach a moderate flood crest of 16.4 feet Friday morning. Flood impacts included worsening conditions in the Pines and Coxs Pond regions, road flooding, and potential risks to businesses near the river. What People Are Saying NWS Wilmington in a flood warning about the Cape Fear River: "Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas." NWS Raleigh in a hazardous weather outlook: "Scattered thunderstorms are expected again Friday. While coverage will be less than the last few days, heavy rainfall and isolated instances of flash flooding are still possible, especially in urban areas and where excessive rainfall has already occurred. A few storms could also become strong to severe, with damaging wind gusts the main threat." What Happens Next River levels are forecast to gradually recede across affected areas over the coming days if rainfall subsides. Continued rainfall or new storms could prolong or worsen flooding conditions, while subsiding water will still pose risks near riverbanks and in low-lying zones.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Tropical Storm Chantal brought over 10 inches of rain to central NC: State of emergency, flooding
The effects of Tropical Storm Chantal brought severe weather to North Carolina on Sunday, July 6, causing flooding and damage throughout central N.C. Heavy rainfall from the storm will continue to result in flash flood concerns across portions of the Delmarva, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, and life-threatening surf conditions and rip currents will likely continue at beaches along the East Coast. However, Chantal, now in the post-tropical cyclone phase, is no longer affecting N.C. as of Monday morning, July 7. As the water begins to recede in N.C., here's what we know about the effects of Chantal in the state, including rainfall amounts, effects of severe flooding and more. How much rain fell in North Carolina? NWS Meteorologist Tom Green told the Citizen Times that the highest observation in the Raleigh-Durham area was 11.91 inches in 24 hours, reported 2 miles north of Moncure in Chatham County. Another nine sites reported at least 9 inches of rain, all located in Chatham and Orange Counties. Cities effected included Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Carrboro, Durham, Efland, Siler City and Mebane. Where did it flood in North Carolina? Chapel Hill, NC flooding and more Serious flooding affected central N.C. due to the effects of Tropical Storm Chantal, with weather services and county and city authorities issuing statements throughout the past 24 hours. Chatham County, home to Goldston, Pittsboro, Siler City and part of Cary, stated on X at roughly 9 p.m. July 6 that over 100 roads across the county were flooded. Orange County, home to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and parts of Durham and Mebane, also reported "significant flooding" of 5-9 inches across the county, prompting the opening of an emergency shelter for displaced residents. NWS Raleigh posted on X that the Haw River at Haw River crested at 32.5 feet at 4:45 a.m. on Monday, July 7, the second highest river stage ever reported at the site. The record was set in 1996, when Hurricane Fran caused the river to swell to 32.83 feet. North Carolina state of emergency In a July 7 statement from Gov. Josh Stein, the governor named counties in which local states of emergency have been declared including Alamance, Moore and Orange Counties. He also mentioned reports of flooding in Durham County. 'I am grateful to the first responders who are keeping people safe and for the proactive work of emergency management professionals and the North Carolina Department of Transportation,' said Stein in the statement. 'I urge all North Carolinians to listen to any guidance from local weather and local emergency management officials and be aware of any road warnings and closures before they leave the house.' North Carolina closed roads As of Stein's 12:18 p.m. statement, the NC Department of Transportation had reopened several major roads previously closed due to flooding, including I-40/85 in Alamance County. However, about 120 roads remained closed. Never attempt to pass through standing water on roads. For real-time travel information including info on closed roads, visit or follow NCDOT on social media. Asheville, NC flooding? Did it flood in Western NC? The NWS confirmed to the Citizen Times that there was no significant rainfall in WNC. North Carolina tornadoes? Tornadoes were another concern for central N.C. during the storms. Green told the Citizen Times that, as of early afternoon Monday, July 7, surveyors did not have information available on any tornadoes that may have occurred. North Carolina dam failures? While no dam failures have been reported as of early afternoon Monday, July 7, several notices were posted earlier about concerns. Orange County posted a voluntary evacuation order on X at 11:55 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, warning of the possibility of Lake Michael Dam failure. Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@
New York Post
07-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Post
2 missing after canoeing on lake as Tropical Storm Chantal struck North Carolina
Two North Carolinians are missing after they paddled a canoe onto a lake as Tropical Storm Chantal lashed the southern states over the weekend. 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, 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
