Day 2: August 9, 2024 2:40 PM
We noticed this morning that the town had already dispatched some crews to the Morgan Creek Greenway and were doing cleanup and inspection work.
Also, bucket trucks, lots of bucket trucks are out on Ransom and Vance taking care of the trees and utility damage.
Be careful! Power and traffic lights are still out along Columbia street all the way down to NC 54. The lights at the interchange ARE WORKING
For vintage car fans, the beautiful BMW 633 CSL that many a passerby has admired appears to have been removed from the street and, presumably, safe and sound elsewhere!
11:01 AM
NC DEQ is currently monitoring sites across the state, including 17 animal feeding operations.
Day 2: August 9, 2024 10:49 AM
Things are slowly getting back to normal. Power is being restored across the area and we’ve seen lots of tree crews out.
A blogblogger just sent in this photo from the corner of Ransom and Vance. A tree fell on a power line and now there’s a fire. Fire department on scene.
3:28PM
Updates:
- Lots of traffic lights are out across 54 and 15-501.
- Flood warning has been extended until 6pm for Alamance, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Randolph [NC]
- A reader sent us this picture of the intersection of Oakwood and Cleland in Chapel Hill. “Very flooded,” reader says.
1:20 PM
Some updates:
– Johnny Randall, the retired conservation director of the NC Botanical Garden, wrote in to say “One bit of information that I find very interesting, and always monitor during floods, is the USGS gaging station on Morgan Creek near the Mason Farm Biological Reserve. There’s lots of ways to view water level data – going way back. See https://waterdata.usgs.gov/
– Meadowmont, which in the words of our blogblogger “never loses power,” has lost power
– A huge pine tree has fallen on the power line and exploded off 54. A blogblogger took this video:
– The Orange County Courthouse is closed for the day
– Shelton Street near the intersection of Elm Street in Carrboro closed for Thursday morning due to a downed tree.
– Lots of traffic lights are out. If you can, stay at home or where you are for the time being.
Noon
Drive.nc.gov has an interactive map you can use to get real time information on road impacts. Link is here
11:50AM
This is Mel: camp and preschool are closed today, so my family is holding a sports-themed movie marathon. So far, we’ve watched the Sandlot and Rookie of the Year, with Mighty Ducks on deck. Popcorn is in abundance.
11:35 AM
A few photos from outside.
Booker Creek Basin Park, doing what it was designed for: capturing floodwater from Booker Creek
Morgan Creek Trail blocked by a swelling Morgan Creek. There’s always questions when this happens, but the Morgan Creek Trail is designed to handle floodwater, as are other trails and greenways. Chapel Hill wrote an explainer on this topic in 2016, which is worth a read. Buffers like greenways can store excess stormwater runoff and protect surrounding natural areas.
10:43 AM
In Carrboro:
Shelton Street is closed due to a tree down near the intersection of Elm Street. Jones Ferry Road is completely shut down from Old Fayetteville Road to Crystal Springs Court and is closed to through traffic to Damascus Church Road or Bowden Road outside of the town limits.
There are small pockets of power outages throughout the county. There are approximately 200 without power in Carrboro and Orange County just outside of the city limits. You can see current outages on the Duke Energy Map here.
In Chapel Hill:
- The intersection of Homestead Road and Aquatic Drive is closed due to a downed tree.
- The section of Umstead Drive near Umstead Park is closed due to flooding.
- The section of Cleland Drive between the intersections of Rogerson Drive and Hamilton Road is closed due to flooding.
10:38 AM
We wanted to share the excellent local emergency resources that are frequently being updated.
Town of Chapel Hill
Tropical Storm Debby Emergency Updates and Resources
Town of Carrboro
Severe Weather Updates and Resources
Orange County
Sign up for text and email alerts and get updates
9:45 AM
We are hearing reports of downed trees and flooded streets. Orange County Sheriff Department has posted that Jones Ferry Road west of University Lake Bridge is closed due to downed trees.