Living in Central North Carolina, when you think of natural disasters, you probably imagine a mild thunderstorm or a stray tornado warning. But here in the Triangle, we're not immune to the big one: hurricanes. We might be hours from the coast, but the impact of these storms is a geohazard we've felt firsthand for decades, and it's a risk that's only growing.
We don't typically experience the full might of hurricanes here. What we get is the aftermath: the torrential rain that turns our familiar creeks into raging rivers and neighborhoods into temporary lakes. The most dramatic example of this was a few months ago when the street I drive on every day literally collapsed under the weight of rushing water. Several roads in Wake County flooded, but the most dramatic event was on Olive Chapel Road. I use that road almost daily to get to work, run errands, or just to avoid highway traffic, and my best friends live in neighborhoods right by it. I remember being in my room, avoiding the rain, when my friends sent me a text with the news reports and pictures of the street that collapsed under the weight of the rushing water, opening a massive sinkhole. It was surreal to see a part of my daily routine wiped out like that.
You might not have heard of Tropical Storm Chantal, but it's a perfect example of the real risk we face. In early July, it dumped a foot or more of rain in parts of Central North Carolina. While my town's incident was a sinkhole, the storm's impact was widespread, causing rivers like the Haw and Eno to reach record-breaking flood stages. The Haw River near Bynum, for instance, saw its highest crest since Hurricane Fran in 1996. The storm's path brought tragedy, with multiple fatalities reported in the region due to people being caught in floodwaters.
As I've learned, our geohazard risk isn't just a historical footnote; it's an evolving issue. Climate change is intensifying tropical systems, making them stronger and wetter, and increasing the likelihood of them stalling over land. This means more record-breaking rainfall and more potential for catastrophic inland flooding. The City of Apex estimates that over 2,100 properties in our town are at risk of flooding over the next 30 years—that's nearly 10% of all properties in the area.
Citations:
Davis, C. (2025b, July 7). Rapid reaction: Tropical storm Chantal soaks central North Carolina. North Carolina State Climate Office. https://climate.ncsu.edu/blog/2025/07/rapid-reaction-tropical-storm-chantal-soaks-central-north-carolina/
WRAL. (n.d.). Apex town councilman addresses Olive Chapel Road collapse. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Jwjxyg5gs
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