Chapel Hill Looks to Boost Flood Resilience as Storms Intensify

New guide from Duke University offers roadmap for small cities to prepare for rising flood risks

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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After record flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal last summer, Chapel Hill leaders are turning to a new resilience guide developed by researchers at Duke University to help the town better assess vulnerabilities and model potential flood mitigation solutions as the region faces more frequent and severe storms linked to climate change.

Why it matters

As rainfall intensity in the Raleigh-Durham area has increased by 21% since 1970, small and mid-size cities like Chapel Hill are struggling to keep up with aging infrastructure and growing development that strain drainage systems during heavy downpours. The new guide aims to provide practical steps and digital tools for these communities to get ahead of the rising flood risks.

The details

The 51-page 'Built to Endure' guide, developed by Duke's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability in partnership with several organizations, outlines how towns can assess vulnerabilities, improve planning, and use modeling software to evaluate different flood mitigation strategies before investing in costly infrastructure projects. Chapel Hill officials say they are reviewing the new tools and working with regional partners to identify potential flood control efforts.

  • In summer 2025, nearly 9 inches of rain fell in Chapel Hill in less than a day during Tropical Storm Chantal, overwhelming drainage systems and flooding the Eastgate Crossing area.
  • This week, researchers and engineers at Duke University unveiled the 'Built to Endure' resilience guide.

The players

Jess Anderson

The mayor of Chapel Hill, who says storms can no longer be treated as rare events and the town must prepare for more frequent and severe flooding.

Rory Linehan

A co-author of the 'Built to Endure' guide from Bentley Systems, who argues that investing in resilience can save money and lives in the long run.

Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability

The institute that developed the 'Built to Endure' guide in partnership with several organizations to help small and mid-size cities prepare for rising flood risks.

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What they’re saying

“Every time we have any sort of large weather event with water, we have places that predictably flood.”

— Jess Anderson, Mayor of Chapel Hill (WRAL)

“The data is clear. We are getting not only more severe storms, but they're happening more often. It's no longer something that could happen in the future — it's here.”

— Jess Anderson, Mayor of Chapel Hill (WRAL)

“One dollar of investing in resilience at the front end can get a benefit of between $4 to $13 on the other side, not to mention all the lives that we can save.”

— Rory Linehan, Co-author of 'Built to Endure' guide, Bentley Systems (WRAL)

What’s next

Chapel Hill officials say town staff is reviewing new modeling efforts and working with regional partners to identify potential flood mitigation projects.

The takeaway

As rainfall intensity and storm frequency increase in the region due to climate change, small and mid-size cities like Chapel Hill must proactively invest in flood resilience measures to protect their communities, with the new 'Built to Endure' guide providing a roadmap for assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating cost-effective solutions.