These were the words of Dan Barnaba, one of the victims of Tropical Depression Chantal's flooding in Chapel Hill.
Like many others, Dan and his partner, Rachael Hynes, knew it was going to rain on the evening of July 6, 2025 -- but they never could have imagined just how much.
That rainy summer evening quickly turned into a harrowing escape for the couple and many others in Chapel Hill.
"The water in the driveway got to be quite high," Barnaba said. "And as I turned, we saw water already leaking halfway down our hallway."
When water started pouring in from every direction, they knew it was time to go.
"We grabbed the cat, threw her in the carrier... we couldn't get the doors open because so much water was pushing against them," Barnaba said.
They pushed through a window screen to look outside -- the water had already risen to the level of their back patio. The grass had turned into a fast-moving stream.
The couple made it out safely but lost everything on their first floor. Dan's car was completely flooded. Rachael managed to save hers in a risky dash to higher ground.
They weren't alone.
Just down the road, the Chapel Hill Tennis Club was also inundated by Chantal's torrential rain.
SEE ALSO: Carrboro, Hillsborough, most of Orange County hit hard by Chantal; towns still assessing damage
The University Lake Dam -- about a quarter mile away -- was overtopping from the sheer amount of rainfall. Water surged into surrounding neighborhoods, rising as much as eight feet in some areas.
Mark Bland, the club's general manager, said the flooding quickly overwhelmed the property.
"The water rushed across the surface and ripped the top four or five inches of material off," Bland said, describing how floodwaters stripped the tennis courts.
As water began to recede, the club opened its clubhouse as a refuge for neighbors forced out of their homes.
The devastation also changed how they rebuilt.
The club installed post-tension concrete courts -- reinforced with steel cables -- after seeing how similar designs held up during Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
For Barnaba, Hynes, and others nearby, recovery has been long, exhausting, and expensive.
But they say one thing made all the difference: community.
"The people who are there for you -- it's your community," Barnaba said. "So I would say, meet your neighbors."
Nearly a year after Chantal's impact on central North Carolina, survivors say the lesson is clear: take flash flood warnings seriously.
Because they know just how quickly a normal evening can turn into disaster.
SEE ALSO: Grandfather saves family from Chantal flood waters
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