Portsmouth, VA - New Virginia Majority organizers and Portsmouth residents to gather on the front steps of the Portsmouth City Hall Building in advance of the Portsmouth City Council meeting, to announce their ongoing campaign to address the dangerous lack of storm drains in the community, adjacent to the Elizabeth River.

The petition calls for an immediate remedy to the absence of storm drains in the city adjacent to Elizabeth River.

Who: Portsmouth residents, New Virginia Majority organizers

What: Press conference on the urgent need for a responsible flood plan followed by Portsmouth City Council Meeting

When: 6:30 press conference, 7 p.m. council meeting, Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Where: Portsmouth City Hall, 801 Crawford Parkway, Portsmouth, VA 23704

Four years ago, the city of Portsmouth contracted a construction company to make the sidewalks wheelchair accessible, but failed to include in its contract a provision to retain critical storm drains.“The absence of storm drains poses an immediate threat to the wellbeing of the Portsmouth community,” said June Cross, a Portsmouth resident and volunteer environmental organizer with New Virginia Majority.“When we have nor'easter storms or rains, it wreaks havoc on the community. We need the city government to act now.”

The event will also draw attention to the neglected state of existing storm drains - many are clogged and full of trash which has led to dangerous flooding in Portsmouth.

As part of the campaign, a petition to the Portsmouth city council was created by residents that read, “All Portsmouth residents have the right to a flood-free community. Being that this area is second to New Orleans in the “rising of sea levels” we are demanding a Comprehensive Flood Plan that includes all neighborhoods and residents. The Portsmouth Comprehensive Flood Plan does not adequately provide in full for the safety and welfare of our community. We can no longer sit here in silence and watch our communities become uninhabitable and our friends and neighbors perish in flood waters.”Click here to RSVP to the City Council event on Tuesday.

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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization, and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic, and environmentally sustainable.