Governor Josh Stein has declared Tropical Storm Chantal a Type I State Disaster, enabling North Carolina to provide state-funded individual assistance grants to residents affected by the storm. Governor Stein also called on President Trump and Acting FEMA Regional Administrator Robert Ashe to issue a Federal Major Disaster Declaration for the region, which would allow for expedited federal aid and statewide Hazard Mitigation Grant Program assistance.
“This disaster declaration unlocks access for people to apply for state-funded individual assistance as they continue to rebuild, and I encourage folks to see if the resources available are a good fit for them,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Chantal was devastating for central North Carolina, and initial damage assessments have made clear that a Federal Major Disaster Declaration is needed to help expedite federal aid for repairing roads and rebuilding critical infrastructure.”
Preliminary reports show public assistance damages from Tropical Storm Chantal have exceeded $42 million, more than double the threshold required by FEMA guidelines for requesting federal disaster support. If approved, a Federal Major Disaster Declaration would make public assistance funds available to local governments in affected areas, helping with costs related to rebuilding damaged infrastructure such as roads and utilities.
The Type I State Disaster declaration covers Orange, Durham, Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Granville, Person, and Wake counties. Residents in these counties can now apply for state-funded individual assistance grants. These grants may be used toward temporary housing or rental costs, replacing personal property lost during the storm, medical or dental expenses incurred as a result of the emergency, or funeral expenses.
Disaster recovery centers have been set up in several locations:
– In Orange County at 203 South Greensboro St., Carrboro
– In Alamance County at 319 N. Graham-Hopedale Rd., Burlington
– In Durham County at 221 Milton Rd., Durham
Each center has weekday and Saturday hours. Survivors seeking information about individual assistance can contact the North Carolina Emergency Management hotline at 919-825-2378 or visit ncdps.gov/chantal.
Tropical Storm Chantal struck central North Carolina on July 6 with rainfall between nine and twelve inches in some areas. Rivers such as the Haw River and Eno River reached record levels. The storm resulted in six confirmed deaths and caused extensive damage across multiple counties including Durham and Orange. Local states of emergency were declared; first responders carried out water rescues while emergency shelters housed displaced residents until mid-July when all shelters closed as recovery efforts continued.
Additional details can be found in Executive Order 19: Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance for Durham, Orange, and Surrounding Counties (https://governor.nc.gov/media/eo19-disaster-declaration-individual-assistance-durham-orange-and-surrounding-counties/open) as well as Governor Stein’s letter to President Trump and Acting FEMA Regional Administrator Ashe (https://governor.nc.gov/media/govstein-letter-president-trump-fema-regional-administrator-robert-ashe-tropical-storm/open).
