Comunicado de Prensa en español
Today Governor Josh Stein declared Tropical Storm Chantal a Type I State Disaster, which allows North Carolina to activate state-funded individual assistance grants for people affected by the storm. The Governor also urged President Trump and Acting FEMA Regional Administrator Robert Ashe to issue a Federal Major Disaster Declaration for Chantal to expedite federal aid in the disaster area and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) assistance statewide.
“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 damage assessments have totaled more than $42 million in public assistance damages, which exceeds by a factor of two the minimum indicator for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration based on the state thresholds prescribed by FEMA. A Major Disaster Declaration would authorize public assistance to impacted local governments to offset the cost of rebuilding damaged roads, utilities, and clearing debris.
The Type I Disaster declaration covers Orange, Durham, Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Granville, Person, and Wake counties, activating state-funded individual assistance grants which may be used for needs such as temporary housing and rental assistance, replacement of personal property, medical or dental expenses, or funeral or burial expenses resulting from the emergency. To be eligible for State Individual Assistance, applicants must visit one of the disaster recovery centers that have been set up in impacted communities:
- Orange County: 203 South Greensboro St., Carrboro, NC
- Hours are M-F; 8:30am – 5:00pm; 10:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday
- Hours are M-F; 8:30am – 5:00pm; 10:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday
- Alamance County: 319 N. Graham-Hopedale Rd., Burlington, NC
- Hours are M-F; 8:00am – 5:00pm; 10:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday
- Hours are M-F; 8:00am – 5:00pm; 10:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday
- Durham County: 221 Milton Rd., Durham, NC
- Hours are M-F; 10:00am - 5:00pm; 10:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday
For general individual assistance information inquiries, survivors can call the North Carolina Emergency Management individual assistance hotline at 919-825-2378. For more information, visit ncdps.gov/chantal.
Tropical Storm Chantal hit central North Carolina on July 6, with some locations seeing as much as 9 to 12 inches of rain. The Haw River, the Eno River, and Jordan Lake, among others, experienced record or near-record water levels. Chantal inflicted significant damage to Durham and Orange counties and the surrounding areas, leading to six confirmed storm-related deaths and extensive destruction to homes and businesses. Local states of emergency were declared, first responders conducted water rescues, and emergency shelters opened for displaced residents. By mid-July, all emergency shelters had closed, and displaced residents were moved to hotels as the response efforts shifted into a coordinated recovery phase.