Flash flooding triggered by the remnants of Tropical Depression Chantal brought chaos to parts of central North Carolina on Sunday night. Viral videos showed homes underwater, roads washed out, and residents forced to evacuate in multiple communities, including Mebane and Chapel Hill.
Shortly after 8 PM, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning, reporting that as much as six inches of rain had fallen over the Chapel Hill area in just a few hours, per CBS17.
The Chapel Hill Police Department said that as of 9:20 PM, emergency crews were evacuating flooded apartments in the Camelot Village complex on South Estes Drive.
The situation was worse in Mebane, west of Raleigh, where videos posted on social media captured water pouring into homes. “HOMES FLOODING in Mebane, North Carolina, from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal right now!” an NC-based meteorologist wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Officials say dozens of homes in the area could be affected by the rising waters.
{{/usCountry}}Officials say dozens of homes in the area could be affected by the rising waters.
{{/usCountry}}Several social media users reported that a tornado may have touched down in the area.
Notably, in Mebane, flooding forced officials to shut down I-40/85 entirely.
Local police and rescue teams are working through the night to assist those trapped by floodwaters or forced from their homes.