SHILOH, Ala. — The residents of Shiloh, a community long plagued by flooding, are growing increasingly frustrated as progress on state-funded flood mitigation efforts remains stalled.
Represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, Shiloh’s community leaders are demanding answers from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) about the status of two mitigation projects the state agreed to implement under a binding agreement reached last year.
“The people in the Shiloh community want to know what’s going on. We haven’t seen any movement,” said Pastor Timothy Williams, a spokesperson for the community. “We want to know if you are going to be responsible and do what you said you are going to do.”
The state was required to submit a 180-day progress report outlining which of the two projects it would pursue. When that report was not provided, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed an open records request in April seeking the information. ALDOT acknowledged the request immediately but then claimed a month later that it had been lost.
Residents and advocates view the state’s response as a delaying tactic in what has become a years-long struggle. “It feels like they are playing games and dragging their feet,” Williams said. “This has been happening for seven years, and we are losing hope.”
The urgency of the situation is heightened by the approach of hurricane season. Many residents have lost their flood insurance, and the risk of severe weather leaving families homeless looms large.
“Let’s stop procrastinating,” Williams said. “People’s lives are at stake. If heavy rain or a tornado comes, we could lose everything.”
Williams added that if ALDOT continues to stall, the community may pursue legal action to compel the state to fulfill its commitments. “We shouldn’t have to beg the state of Alabama to fix the problem they created in the Shiloh community,” he said.
As the state remains silent on the next steps, Shiloh’s residents continue to face a precarious future amid persistent flooding and uncertain support.
