10-04-2025
$20M to fight flooding in historic Hampton neighborhood may be terminated by Trump admin
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — A $20 million EPA grant that the city of Hampton was relying on carry out flood mitigation projects in a historic Black neighborhood, may be one of 400 cut by the Trump administration.
In December, former Mayor Donnie Tuck announced that the city had been awarded the money to carry out the 'Aberdeen Gardens Community Resilience Implementation Strategy' as part of former President Joe Biden's Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program.
Extreme heat, flooding and pollution historically disproportionately burden low-income communities and communities of color.
The funding, included in the Inflation Reduction Act, would be sent to the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood to 'create a sustainable, resilient future by addressing immediate flooding challenges and fostering economic growth through targeted green infrastructure, community engagement and workforce development initiatives.' Tuck said at the time.
However, in a release from Democrats on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works last month, the grant was listed as one eyed for termination by Lee Zeldin, President Trump's EPA administrator.
In a March 10 release, Zeldin stated he canceled grants and contracts related to 'DEI and environmental justice' as part of 'working hand-in-hand with DOGE to rein in wasteful federal spending.'
Both the city of Hampton and their nonprofit partner on the Aberdeen Gardens project, Wetlands Watch, said they are currently in a waiting pattern.
Aberdeen Gardens descendants preserve community charm
'We have not received any official notification that we're not getting the grant yet,' Mayor Jimmy Gray said Wednesday. 'We just understand that it's on a possible list that could be cut.'
Mary-Carson Stiff, executive director of Wetlands Watch, said seeing the project on the Senate Democrats' published list was 'a surprise.'
'Nobody wants to see the name of this project on a list like that,' Stiff said. 'But we don't know any other details.'
Aberdeen Gardens is a historic neighborhood, established in 1934 as part of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal initiative to develop planned communities. It was the only New Deal-planned community that was created by Black architects and workers, according to the city.
The 440-acre community made up of 158 single family homes sits in what FEMA considers a high risk flood zone plain.
Gary Johnson, 71, was born and raised on the corner of Langston Boulevard and East Russell Road in Aberdeen Gardens. He is now the second generation to own his home.
For as long as he can remember, a hard rain meant he had to work hard to make sure everything inside his garage is protected.
'The drainage systems do work, but it doesn't work fast enough because there's so much rain coming down at one time and it's coming down from different areas,' Johnson said. 'When it rains, it floods and go right into my garage and it goes right up to the house.'
Stiff said the grant included 'so many different things' in its effort to reduce risks.
'City is working on stormwater improvements,' Stiff said. 'The pipes are too small. Aberdeen creek, it is essentially now a ditch, this project would help restore the creek to give it more carrying capacity during tidal events.'
In City Manager Mary Buntings FY 2026 Capital Improvement Plan proposal, $2.9 million in city money is set aside to address the drainage system.
Gray said that isn't nearly enough. He said he plans to plead the city's case for the money with the city's federal delegation.
'Taking the grant away doesn't cause the need to go away,' Gray said. 'We're dealing with, you know, real issues, real risks that affect real neighborhoods where real people live … we rely on federal funding or federal assistance to try to address some of our flooding projects in this area, because their place is a big burden on the local taxpayers to try to do that with local tax dollars.'
Nobody from the EPA was immediately able to comment for this story.
Rep. Bobby Scott, (D-Newport News) weighed in on X.
'Congress provided funds to address the threats of climate change when we enacted the Inflation Reduction Act,' Scott said. 'The Trump Administration's plan to terminate (the city of Hampton's) grant to alleviate flooding in the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood is both irresponsible and illegal.'
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