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Emergency management briefs Chatham County response to Tropical Depression Chantal: rescues, road damage and recovery steps
Summary
Emergency Management Director Steve Newton outlined storm impacts including dozens of water rescues, multiple road washouts, three fatalities and state-level recovery steps. He described alerts, damage assessments and potential grant/loan pathways for homeowners and local governments.
Chatham County Emergency Management Director Steve Newton delivered a detailed briefing on the county’s response and recovery from Tropical Depression Chantal, outlining the scope of damage, life-safety operations and next steps for state and federal assistance.
Newton said the county received the first storm reports on July 6 and issued multiple Wireless Emergency Alerts and CodeRED messages; the county logged roughly 30,000 phone calls, 7,000 text messages and 4,000 emails as part of its public warnings. He described 33 water rescues, 99 reports of trees down and 80 reports of flooded roads. Emergency crews recorded 13 NCDOT roads damaged to the extent they would require days or weeks to repair, and county staff reported $1.6 million in NCDOT damage and approximately $200,000 in town of Pittsboro damages (including a pedestrian bridge and debris along Robertson Creek).
Newton reported three fatalities tied to the event: one motorist who drove into floodwaters and two boating deaths on Jordan Lake. He said responders conducted high-risk water rescues, often after dark, and praised the county’s swift-water teams and volunteer fire/rescue personnel for their actions. He described an improvised rescue on Gilmore Road where a 10- to 12-foot roadway gap required improvised access to reach isolated homes.
On recovery and assistance pathways, Newton summarized the state-level actions: the county completed a local damage assessment by July 16, and the governor declared a state emergency (the governor’s action was submitted July 17). Newton said Orange and Durham counties were designated for Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans; as contiguous counties, Chatham residents and businesses are able to apply for SBA disaster loans. He said the governor also requested a federal major declaration for public assistance; Newton expected the county’s position to be eligibility for state assistance and SBA loans rather than a broad federal individual assistance declaration, given the current damage levels.
Newton discussed mitigation opportunities and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). He said the county is exploring voluntary buyouts for at least one interested homeowner and would update the county’s hazard mitigation plan to identify larger projects (for example, improvements in Love Creek/Siler City). Newton stressed that some private drives and small roads are not eligible for certain federal grant categories except as loans, which is a material difference for homeowners.
Commissioners asked about thresholds for mandatory evacuations, whether debris accumulation posed an immediate hazard to a walking bridge on U.S. 15-501 and the process for applying for SBA and state assistance. Newton said crews had visited affected neighborhoods, notified at-risk properties door-to-door when warranted and coordinated with NCDOT and town staff for repairs. The county emphasized bilingual messaging for warnings and recovery information and said it would continue to gather damage reports as residents and local agencies submit additional information.
