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…

The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners met for a special meeting Wednesday to make budget decisions and provide updates related to Tropical Storm Chantal. Tropical Storm Chantal brought an estimated 10.5 inches of rain to Hillsborough, leading to a rapid increase in the levels of the Eno River. In addition to other damages to town facilities, the Public Works facility was inundated, causing a total loss of nine vehicles. The town said the estimated replacement cost…

A closely watched tract adjacent to Lake Crabtree County Park would become a “recreation and wellness destination” under a proposal being considered by the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority.  The governing body of the airport said Thursday that it is in talks with a Dallas-based developer to redevelop 136 acres of airport land near Aviation Parkway and Interstate 40 — land that once contained a 9-mile tangle of mountain bike trails. RDU’s preferred developer, Pacific Elm Properties, is…

There has been a head-spinning amount of flooding this month, and not just in North Carolina. It includes Texas, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Missouri. The Texas floods were from the remnants of a tropical storm. The flooding in central North Carolina was from Tropical Depression Chantal. In parts of Chapel Hill, there was more rain than we saw from Hurricane Fran in September 1996. It doesn’t always take a tropical system…

The town, university and organizations in Chapel Hill are teaming up to host a flood resource event for businesses impacted by destructive flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal last week.  The event will be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday at Innovate Carolina Junction, 136 E. Rosemary St. “We have been made aware of about 35, 40 businesses that have been completely wiped out that don’t have their products available anymore or don’t…

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued the Federal Emergency Management Administration on Wednesday over its decision to cancel a program that provides more than $200 million to protect North Carolina’s infrastructure, including water and sewer services devastated by recent storms. Jackson’s announcement about the FEMA lawsuit included a list of canceled grants in North Carolina. He’s seeking to get the money reinstated as quickly as possible, he said. The Atlatnic hurricane season is underway…