CITY & COUNTY

10/1/2018 9:52pm

Franklin street remains busy as Chapel Hill residents and students make trips to Target.

Orange County faces high losses of potential retail sales

By Laura Brummett

Orange County is facing a retail gap that has lost the county millions of dollars in potential revenue.  The retail gap happens when residents report spending more money than businesses in the area report in sales, meaning residents are going to other areas to do their shopping. This leads retailers to choose towns like Durham over Chapel Hill. “We’re still a University-driven retirement town for wealthy folks,” said  Mike Clayton, owner of Clayton Commercial Realty. 

Editors Picks

9/18/2018 11:48pm

Kyrie and Michael Benton carry food and some of their waterlogged belongings through the grounds of Camelot Village apartments in Chapel Hill the morning of September 17, 2018. Chapel Hill had been seemingly spared the worst of Hurricane Florence but Sunday night into Monday morning saw a downpour of heavy rain that caused flash flooding around the Triangle. Camelot Village has seen flooding in the past but never to this degree, according to Kyrie and other residents of many years. "I lost everything in this flood," Kyrie said. Just as quickly as it flooded, the water began to recede late the same morning and early in the afternoon.

What some of the flooding in Chapel Hill after Hurricane Florence looks like

By Alex Kormann

After Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas, many communities saw widespread damage, destruction and flooding. Recovery for homes, businesses and communities has begun, but the lasting impact of the storm will remain as parts of the state get back on their feet.  Though towns along the coast felt the brunt of the slow-moving storm, residents of Chapel Hill experienced flooding in their neighborhoods and local community spaces. The photos above, taken by photographer Alex Kormann, capture some of the flooding the community has experienced.