Gov. Josh Stein issued a state of emergency declaration Wednesday evening for counties in central North Carolina affected by flash flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal and rainfall in the following days — a move that helps local governments in their quest for disaster relief.

The governor’s office shared the declaration after state and federal officials visited Orange County and other surrounding areas on Tuesday to initially review damage left by the severe weather, which included historic amounts of rainfall in mere hours. The alert dictates the Department of Public Safety and other parts of the state government help “provide for the rapid and orderly rehabilitation of persons and restoration of property” while also seeking assistance from the federal government.

“Tropical Storm Chantal brought heavy rain to central North Carolina, with the Haw and Eno rivers and Jordan Lake, among others, reaching record or near-record water levels, forcing road closures and evacuations and, unfortunately, costing lives and livelihoods,” Stein’s office shared on social media. “Since July 5, the State Emergency Response Team has been working with local emergency managers and first responders on search and rescue, assisting with local emergency operations centers, making sure people have safe and clean water, and restoring infrastructure. I am grateful for their hard work keeping people safe. My office will keep working to support our neighbors in their recovery.”

Photo via Governor Stein’s Press Office.

Orange County submitted its initial damage assessment to the state and federal governments on Friday, July 11. The early estimates tallied $56 million in property damage from floodwaters — with $12.7 million estimated for residential properties and $20.7 million for commercial properties. Those amounts are expected to rise as more reports and claims are submitted and do not include economic damage estimates, but the county said it believed it would be enough to qualify for state and federal disaster assistance.

Chair of the Orange County Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford told 97.9 The Hill on Wednesday a decision from the federal government on whether to open up assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected this week too.

“That opens up small business loans, perhaps grants, and funding in general,” she said, “[for groups like] homeowners and property owners, the county governments, the water and sewer authorities — especially Hillsborough and Mebane, which seriously need some financial assistance in those [utility] areas.”

The flash flooding on July 6 led to roughly 8,000 calls to 911 in a seven-hour span, according to Orange County Emergency Services, and triggered 70 water rescues to low-lying communities across the county. Fourteen people suffered injuries while one Person County woman died in the county, and more than 190 people reported being displaced as a result of the severe weather. Orange County and the Town of Chapel Hill are providing temporary housing to roughly 100 residents who lived in public housing neighborhoods, according to Friday’s damage assessment.

In lieu of disaster relief from larger bodies, several local grassroots donation efforts began in the immediate aftermath of Chantal’s floods and all four governments in Orange County also started a joint fund for essential resources.

 

Featured image via Paperhand Puppets.


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