Buttigieg visits predominantly Black Alabama community following ABC News investigation about neighborhood flooding

By Maia Rosenfeld , Jared Kofsky, and Steve Osunsami, ABC News

An unlikely visitor made his way through rural Alabama last Wednesday to visit the community of Shiloh, a place usually far from the public eye. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and two of his top officials came to Shiloh at the request of local landowners who say they’ve experienced frequent flooding ever since the state widened a highway alongside their homes.

Many of the Black families that make up the Shiloh community have owned their land since the end of slavery. Now, as they watch their properties flood, they tell ABC News they fear the generational wealth they’ve built over 150 years will be destroyed by the water.

Pastor Timothy Williams, whose family has lived in Shiloh for generations, has been speaking out about the flooding and damage to his home since 2017, during the highway construction. But until last week, Williams said he did not feel heard by those in power.

“It feels promising just to be able to reach the top of the DOT and for them to listen,” Williams told ABC News on the eve of the visit. “I believe help is on the way.”

ABC has more details.

Highways have been destructive to Black communities around the country.

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