Federal transportation leaders to visit Shiloh community; ALDOT responds to flooding issue

ELBA, Ala. (WDHN) — After almost six years of dealing with the inconvenience of flooding, the Shiloh community is hopeful a solution is on the way as federal transportation leaders like Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be on the ground Wednesday to tour and discuss the ongoing matter with residents.

“It’s been almost six years we are not trying to put on a show but the residents in Shiloh need help,” Williams said.

Residents have needed help since 2018 when Highway 84 was expanded and elevated. They blame the expansion for leaving their historically black community in a bowl where they experience flooding during torrential amounts of rainfall as they say the pipes are turned onto the community.

Residents say over the last five to six years the state has not taken the blame for contributing to the flooding or offered any solutions.

They believe they are being treated unfairly due to their race.

“We got all of this federal attention but we can’t get anything out of our state officials its bothersome,” He said.

However in 2020, there were signed settlement agreements of five thousand dollars between the state department of transportation and three residents in the community, but that’s the most action from the state residents have seen.

With federal transportation leaders involved, the state Department of Transportation released a statement about the ongoing situation.

“While we believe Shiloh property owners have been adequately compensated for any inconvenience caused by Aldot’s Highway 84 project, some multiple times, through right of way payments and subsequent legal settlements, we are planning to offer the residents protesting about drainage the option of either selling their properties to aldot or have us implement a project to retain additional water on state right of way. The choice will be theirs. In addition, ALDOT is cooperating with the Federal Highway Administration’s review of the facts and is committed to working to address the concerns of the Shiloh community. We do not believe any unfair treatment or discrimination has occurred,” Tony Harris, ALDOT’s Chief of Communication & Government Relations

The Shiloh community has extended the invitation to state agencies like ALDOT to come and visit but they have not said if they will be in attendance.

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