Central North Carolina took a massive hit from Tropical Depression Chantal on Sunday, as a storm that was projected to drop three inches of rain ended up flooding the community with as much as 10 inches — breaking rainfall records and causing millions of dollars in damage.
One of the hardest hit areas was Chapel Hill’s Eastgate Crossing shopping center, where the storm left not a single business unscathed.
“It was shocking walking into the store,” said Elie Abou-Rjeileh, the co-owner of Olmaz Jewelers in Eastgate Crossing, on Monday. “I couldn’t walk in right away. I had to go in and out a couple of times.”
And he was far from the only one.
“It caught everybody by surprise,” Abou-Rjeileh said. “I walked around (Monday) morning, saw one business owner (who) just opened the door, looked inside, locked it, and then she was like, ‘I can’t deal with this.’ And she walked away.”
Eastgate Crossing is known for experiencing floods from Booker Creek when Chapel Hill gets heavy rain. But Su...
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