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Graham awarded nearly $16M for Tropical Storm Chantal repairs

A view of Graham-Mebane Lake
Courtesy city of Graham
Graham-Mebane Lake

The city of Graham is receiving nearly $16 million in federal funding to repair infrastructure damaged by Tropical Storm Chantal.

FEMA is awarding the money to repair the Graham-Mebane Lake Spillway, a structure that helps floodwater drain safely.

The spillway was damaged in July 2025, when Chantal dropped 10 inches of rain on the area over a 12-hour period. Local officials described the event as a thousand-year storm.

The Graham project accounts for nearly half of the $33 million FEMA recently awarded for disaster recovery projects across North Carolina.

Other funding will support road and infrastructure repairs in western North Carolina.

April Laissle is a senior reporter and editor at WFDD. Her work has been featured on several national news programs and recognized by the Public Media Journalists Association and the Radio Television Digital News Association. Before joining WFDD in 2019, she worked at public radio stations in Ohio and California.