Tropical Storm Chantal caused severe flooding that left an indelible mark on Capel Hill. Beyond the immediate shock of rising waters and emergency evacuations, many families are still grappling with ongoing challenges, including how to get around when vehicles are damaged, roads remain closed, and everyday transportation suddenly becomes complicated. Early estimates suggest that more than 1,000 vehicles may have been lost across our region during Chantal, and the storm caused damage to roads, sidewalks, and bike paths that will take years to fully repair.
Despite spending billions annually on repairing roads and bridges after extreme weather events, very little research has been conducted on how disruptions like these actually affect individuals and households. To help measure the impact of these severe weather events, UNC researchers are conducting a study and starting by gathering information about how individuals and families have found their transportation routines disrupted and the changes they have had to made.
This research will help determine:
- How people adapt when they suddenly lose access to transportation resources like cars, bikes, and roads
- The ripple effects of damaged roads and infrastructure—when your usual routes are blocked or bridges are out, how does this affect your daily life, your job, your access to healthcare and groceries?
- What support helps most during recovery
If your household was affected by flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal, you are invited to share your experience through a brief online survey. The survey takes 10-15 minutes and is completely anonymous. At the end of the survey, you will be given an opportunity to provide an email address. This is entirely voluntary, but by providing a way to contact you, you become eligible for a drawing of one of four $300 gift cards.
If you’re interested in participating, please click here to be taken directly to the survey.
This study is being conducted by Tab Combs and Matthew Palm, both assistant professors in UNC’s Department of City and Regional Planning. For more information about the survey, visit go.unc.edu/chantalstudy. For questions about your rights as a participant in this study, please reach out to UNC’s Institutional Review Board at [email protected] and mention study #25-1805.