Tropical Depression Chantal dropped heavy rain in central North Carolina late Sunday, leaving devastating flooding in its wake. State of emergencies were declared in Moore and Orange counties due to torrential flooding.

I-40/I-85 closed for flooding

Flooding has closed many roads and highways in the Triangle, including part of Interstate 40/Interstate 85 in Orange County at Exit 152 for Trollingwood Road, near the Alamance-Orange line.

WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels said the Haw River is at its second-highest level on record in Chatham and Alamance counties. The flooding record was Hurricane Fran in 1996.

“There are several places in our western counties that saw 4 to 8 inches of rain in less than 12 hours,” Michaels said.

State of emergencies

Moore County is under a state of emergency as the severe weather washed out two dams — and more are at risk of failure. There have been significant impacts across the county, including on U.S. Highway 1, where officials have closed off part of the road due to flooding.

In Southern Pines, multiple roads were washed out, and a retaining wall failed near a shopping center on Brucewood Road.

According to Mike Anderson, Southern Pines fire chief and assistant town manager, the Longleaf Dam broke and flooded several homes and apartment complexes. Boat crews and swimmers were used to rescue people who were trapped in their cars.

Anderson added that several retaining walls failed due to the flooding, forcing multiple shopping centers to close down. No one was hurt.

Flooding in Chapel Hill

Sixty-three people across Chapel Hill were displaced due to the flooding, including 20 from Camelot Village, which has a history of flooding. 

Floodwaters in Chapel Hill caught many off guard Sunday night, including two women who say they found themselves in waist-deep water after leaving a movie. The two women said their cars appeared to be totaled from the flooding.

Tornado warnings and damage

Sanford officials reported seeing tornado damage at the Raleigh Executive Jetport in Sanford. It is unclear how severe the possible tornado was. Another tornado warning touched down in the early evening in Orange County near Mebane.

In total, the National Weather Service eight tornado warnings on Sunday. As of Sunday night, there are no reports of injuries from either confirmed tornado.

In Lakeview, the Crains Creek Fire Department said so much rain had accumulated that the dam at Crystal Lake was overflowing and that a breaching of the dam was likely.

Moore County Public Utilities told customers in Pinehurst that the village is experiencing low water pressure levels because water mains were washed out by the flooding.

Customers are advised to boil their water until they get water pressure back to normal levels. 

If you have any photos of storm damage, and it’s safe to do so, please send them to WRAL ReportIt.

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