Severe weather in tropical storm’s wake triggers North Carolina state of emergency

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina can seek federal funding to help its overloaded response efforts to Tropical Storm Chantal, which killed at least six people and left damage from flooding in its wake, as Gov. Josh Stein announced a state of emergency Thursday.

A one-two punch from Chantal followed by severe weather in the state’s center has “overwhelmed the response and recovery efforts of local governments,” according to Stein’s executive order.

Some rivers reached record-breaking levels from the storm, including the Eno River in Durham, one of several cities where some residents lost access to safe drinking water because of damage to the water system. In some places, the storm dumped as much as 9 to 12 inches of rain, according to the governor’s office.

Chantal hit at the end of the July Fourth weekend, and several days of severe weather plowed through as people were still picking up the pieces from damage caused by the tropical storm’s remnants.

The emergency declaration, which took effect Wednesday, jumpstarts the process for North Carolina to seek federal recovery assistance if needed. It covers 13 counties in the state’s center, some of which are home to populous cities like Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Local law enforcement agencies have confirmed at least six deaths from the storm. Businesses were wrecked and many residents were displaced from their homes after emergency responders rescued them from flooding.

A 58-year-old woman called 911 on her way to work after her SUV got caught in floodwaters, but the call disconnected and she was later found dead a little ways from her unoccupied vehicle, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Rescuers searched for days in Chatham County only to find two missing canoers had died, the county sheriff’s office said, while another woman died when floodwaters swept her vehicle off the road, the State Highway Patrol said.

Two people died in Alamance County, including a missing 71-year-old man found dead inside his vehicle covered in flowing water, the sheriff’s office said. The Graham County Police Department said a missing 23-year-old woman was found dead inside a submerged vehicle.

Many people were also rescued during the storm. In one neighborhood north of Durham, the city’s fire department said it did more than 80 water rescues amid the flooding. The fire department in Chapel Hill rescued more than 50 people while teaming up with neighboring agencies, mostly near apartments, officials said.