Eno Valley Swim and Racquet Club rallies for recovery after historic flooding from Chantal

For a Durham community, Chantal caused more unimaginable damage than Hurricane Fran, a Category 3 storm, did nearly 30 years ago.

The beloved Eno Valley Swim and Racquet Club is attempting to rebuild, as buildings on the property have been stripped to the frame, fencing is gone, and electrical work is just the beginning of the extensive work ahead. 

“It was like Chantal just stayed and poured everything she had into our pool and onto our club,” said Vice President of the Board Sharon Davis. 

On Sunday, July 7, Chantal dumped a massive amount of rain. This led to historic flooding of the Eno River, which rose and engulfed the entire property. 

“When we first came out here after the flood had happened, we didn’t know if we were going to be able to come back. I mean it was that severe,” said Joe Gonzalez, President of the Eno Valley Board.

“I came here Monday evening after the storm, and you couldn’t even get in past the gate. The water was still that high 24 hours later. That’s when we realize, ‘ Okay, this is unprecedented. ‘ We’ve had floods before, but never something this magnitude, and so we knew this was going to be a different kind of recovery,” Gonzales added.

Club board leaders said nothing was spared. The buildings, fences, furniture, equipment, the pool, and the courts were destroyed. 

They have the hard work of assessment, cleaning, repair, and replacement ahead of them. 

“The past 10 days have been hot. We’ve had a lot of people that have worked hard. There was mud everywhere. People have been shoveling. People have been going inside the pool, shoveling buckets of mud out, power washing,” said Davis.

The community, volunteers, employees, swimmers, and members are stepping up to help with the clean-up.

“We got a lot of the cleanup work done, but now it’s the project work. We’ve got to put a new fence in, which we’ve never had to do before. We’ve got to get new pumps for the swim system. We’ve got to redo all the electrical.  Other things will be done, but those are the three key things that have to be done to get us open and ready for inspection,” said Gonzales.

Since the late 1960s, the club has been a place of camaraderie, fun, fellowship, and relaxation. It’s described as a pillar of the community. 

“It brings me to tears. This club has been here since the late 60s. We are probably on the third generation of families that go to this club.  It really is a family community, and it’s been heartbreaking in the fact that we can’t come every day and go swim or play tennis or play volleyball. It’s been heartbreaking,” said Davis. 

She said this club means a lot of things to different people. It’s where teenagers get their first job and learn how to be responsible. It’s where little kids learn how to swim and play tennis, and be a part of a team. It’s where families gather and take time for each other out of their busy lives. 

“So many of the families I meet were here as children with their families.  And now they’ve grown up and started their own, and now they’re back as members, and that’s what I think is part of what makes our club so special,” said Gonzales. 

“It is almost a legacy club in some ways. I’ve met so many people who say, ‘Yeah, I remember going to birthday parties there. I remember going to swim parties there. I remember going to swim meets when I was a child.’ So it’s neat that so many who live in this area have been at our pool, whether it’s as members or as guests,” he added. 

The devastating flooding and damage occurred during the peak of the swim season. Davis said many other organizations and clubs are pitching in. 

Duke Faculty Club, as well as the Jewish Community Center, have offered their facilities for their members to go swimming. 

The club’s closure is impacting more than 450 families.

“When I saw the flooding, I was thinking the pool was going to be down for the rest of the season. It was pretty devastating for me because this is basically where I live during the summer,” said Sydni Bassett, a teen swimmer and coach at the club. 

“We’ve had to tear down some of the walls, especially in the shack, because they’re all like done. And today, we were also working in the pump room just trying to get it cleaned out so we can get that pump back in there so we can start to reopen the pool,” she added. 

Ava Radford is also a teen coach and lifeguard who is helping with the cleanup process, too. 

“We’ve cleaned up a lot of mud. The bathrooms were really difficult because, in the shower, we had to take all the mats out and we’ve done just a lot of wiping down everything,” said Radford.

Dozens of others are trading their goggles for tools and cleaning supplies to help.

“We’re seeing just how much everyone loves the pool because we’re seeing so many people come here to help clean up, and that’s because they want it back open too,” Radford added. 

There is no timeline for when the club will be able to reopen. The goal is to reopen the pool itself before the end of the season.

“We need to get back and have our members back, but it’s taking some time.  I do see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Davis. 

Eno Valley Swim and Racquet Club is a non-profit organization relying solely on donations and community support.

You can support their recovery efforts here.