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.”
Charlie Farris, who is the franchisee of the Jersey Mike’s location in Eastgate, was not in town on Sunday to see the devastation for himself. But when staff members called him to share how the Chapel Hill Fire Department was evacuating people from the shopping center, he turned on the store’s security camera feed to follow from his phone. He said it was shocking to see how quickly the water rose to cover the floor and reached the restaurant’s countertops before the power went out and the connection was lost.
“It’s a total feeling of helplessness watching your business and your investment get literally washed away,” said Farris, who showed up early on Monday to survey the damage. “I mean, we hate throwing away inventory — when you’re running a business, you hate to throw anything. And having that much waste in one fell swoop was really tough to watch.”
A screenshot of Jersey Mike’s security camera feed in Eastgate Crossing, as flooding from Booker Creek filled the business. Chapel Hill experienced a record-breaking amount of rain from Tropical Depression Chantal, which caused most of the shopping center to experience catastrophic damage. (Photo via Charlie Farris.)
Eastgate Crossing is known for experiencing floods from Booker Creek when Chapel Hill gets heavy rain. But Sunday’s storm was literally the biggest rainfall Chapel Hill has ever experienced: eight inches of rain in a single day.
“Everything is a complete loss,” said Abou-Rjeileh. “There’s no store in Eastgate that didn’t get affected. We’re talking about probably five feet of water in most stores. All my neighbors are gutting their stores, throwing away inventory. The Winestore… if you walk outside our plaza, you can smell wine, because they’re dumping it in a large container.”
As for Olmaz Jewelers itself, Abou-Rjeileh said their inventory was safe, but the store itself was destroyed.
“There are showcases we can’t even open anymore (because) the wood has bubbled up,” he said. “All three computers were underwater, our tool shop (and) benches are completely destroyed. We have a laser welder that we invested in two, three years ago…covered underwater. It’s (all) in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Olmaz Jewelers (@olmazjewelers)
Beyond the loss of items, Farris said another immediate concern was what to do for the Jersey Mike’s staff. He said he is grateful the store managers of his other local locations all offered to take on some of the Eastgate franchise’s employees to make sure they can keep working during this uncertain stage.
The devastation comes in spite of the fact that officials took significant steps in recent years to shore up Eastgate against flood damage, including constructing the Booker Creek Basin Park to improve stormwater flow while creating an amenity for the area. Sunday’s storm overwhelmed those efforts, partly because of the sheer amount of rain — but also because some protective measures were not taken in time.
“We have floodgates in Eastgate but nobody put them up, because nobody expected what happened,” Abou-Rjeileh said. “At 6 p.m., the creek behind us was not overflowing… It was just a little bit of rain at the time, up until 7. And then the person that was monitoring came back at 8 p.m. or 9 and it was already rushing.”
Both Abou-Rjeileh and Farris, whose unit does not have flood guards, said the water level ultimately rose above the floodgates anyway, so even that precaution would have only partly mitigated the damage.
A floating garbage container crashed through the front of this business in the Eastgate Shopping Center after it was flooded during tropical storm Chantal, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Now, Eastgate business owners are turning their attention to the recovery effort, which for many will be very costly and take a long time. The Town of Chapel Hill closed the entrances to the shopping center on Tuesday to prevent through traffic as cleanup began this week, with an undetermined timeline on when it would reopen. Many of the mall’s tenants met with town leaders on Wednesday to discuss paths forward. Farris said Mayor Jess Anderson and several key members of town staff were there to hear their experiences of Sunday night and Monday morning, and to discuss early steps that can be taken. Some of that includes angling with state and federal representatives to push for an official disaster declaration to help open up funding resources businesses and residents can apply for.
“I think it’s similar [to what owners are feeling],” Farris said. “It’s ‘what’s first, what’s next?’ That was the main point of the meeting was… ‘What’s step one, let’s start getting a checklist…what’s step two, what’s step three?’ And then we’ll eventually get to, ‘Okay, what’s the future of Eastgate look like to prevent this from happening again?'”
Another key part of the meeting having the stakeholders all connect with the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, which has committed to helping all of Eastgate’s tenants whether or not they are members. Ian Scott, the Vice President for Advocacy for the chamber, created an Economic Recovery Center webpage meant to be a one-stop shop for businesses to file for financial assistance and help with some of the most immediate short-term needs.
“Our biggest concern is for the long-term viability for a lot of businesses that, frankly, make this community so special and such a great place to live,” Scott told 97.9 The Hill on Monday. “My request to everybody [out there] is to do everything you can to learn about the businesses you frequent and support who have been impacted. Follow them on social media, learn their status…there are businesses that are open just behind places that have been wiped out and will be closed for a while. Don’t assume they’re closed.
“For the business that have been the worst impacted, learn what they’re needing, listen, and if you can support them, do,” he added for patrons, saying some may try to sell gift cards or move to a temporary location during the restoration process. “Follow your local businesses. They’re going to need you the most in the coming days and weeks. For them to maintain their operating status, they need their customers to turn out and support them right now.”
Abou-Rjeileh said he is confident the community will be there as business owners begin their outreach for support and road to recovery.
“It’s devastating,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, (and) I feel for my fellow Eastgate owners and employees. (But) I know Chapel Hill will support us in any way they can. They’ve always showed us support, and I’m pretty sure they’re not going to stop now.”
Featured photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.
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