‘We lost everything’: Durham works to recover one year after flooding from Chantal

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Monday marked one year since Tropical Depression Chantal ravaged parts of the Triangle, including multiple neighborhoods in Durham.

Chantal flooded dozens of homes and washed away decades of memories around the Old Farm neighborhood.

Holt Athletic Association President Don Daves told CBS 17 that the storm left his nonprofit’s recreational sports complex, located next to Old Farm Road Park, in shambles.

“We almost felt that it was like no sense in coming back and trying to rebuild,” Daves said. “It was really that bad. We lost everything, all of our equipment and everything.”

Between the Old Farm and River Forest neighborhoods of north Durham, city officials said 64 homes were impacted in the wake of flooding in July of 2025.

Authorities said about 80 people were rescued by boat and dozens more were evacuated on foot.

“We saw the camera footage, and we could barely see the tops of the buildings,” Eno Valley Swim & Racquet Club Assistant Manager Maddie Norman said. “My initial reaction, along with my family’s and a lot of my coworkers’, was, ‘ Okay, this is it. This is done for the pool.’”

Also in the neighborhood, the Eno Valley Swim & Racquet Club was decimated by Chantal. But Norman said that through fundraising and community volunteers, the facilities are back up and running.

“It’s not just a pool,” Norman said. “I think it’s like a home for a lot of people. A lot of these people have grown up with each other and so I think it was not just a means of repairing the pool. It was the means of repairing a home for a lot of these people and making them feel like they belong again.”

There’s also been plenty of progress for Daves and the Holt Athletic Association fields. So far, they’ve been able to host rugby and soccer.

“Having over six feet of water covering all this area that you’re seeing here, it’s really amazing that we’re able to come back from it,” Daves said. “But we had some help. A lot of people stepped up and helped us move things and do things.”

Even with the progress, there’s still plenty of work to be done around the Old Farm neighborhood. City officials said some people have returned home, but others are still displaced or working on repairs.

As a nonprofit dedicated to helping families find an affordable way to play sports, the Holt Athletic Association said it could still use support from businesses and those willing to help with equipment and additional repairs. The organization hasn’t been able to restore its baseball and softball fields after the flooding.