Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall in South Carolina at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, 2025, weakening into a tropical depression before noon. As late as 5:55 p.m., the National Weather Service maintained Orange County would likely get no more than two inches of rain with a reasonable “worst-case scenario” of less than four inches.
As we now know, Chantal stalled, doubled down, and dumped an unprecedented 10 inches of rain in Orange County. One person died when floodwaters trapped her vehicle as she traveled to work. First responders found her body about 18 hours later, changing the lives of her family and friends forever.
Other numbers also illustrate the devastation: almost 8,000 calls to 911 telecommunicators, 421 residential properties impacted (of these, the storm destroyed four and delivered major damage to 215 others), 190 residents displaced, 75 crashes/accidents, 14 people injured, and nine road closures. Financially, Orange County suffered more than $20.5 million in residential damage, almost $21 million in commercial destruction, and $28.2 million in harm to facilities such as public works yards and vehicles, water/wastewater treatment plants, and park buildings and equipment…