NORFOLK, Va. — We all may know the nursery rhyme, rain, rain go away, come again another day. However, as much as you may sing it, flooding is never too far away in this region.
That’s why the City of Norfolk’s Office of Resilience is encouraging non-profits and neighborhood associations to apply for the Retain Your Rain Grant.
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Twice a year, the city will award up to $2500 to these groups to plant trees, install rain barrels, set up rain gardens, or work on any other rain capture projects.
“Every little bit counts. You’re capturing the rain that hits your land and you’re keeping it from going directly into the storm drain,” said Margaret Epes, a management analyst within the Office of Resilience.
Even though the application is just open to these specific groups, Epes encourages everyone to get involved with flood prevention at their homes. In the Colonial Place neighborhood of Norfolk, they are no stranger to flooding, and are coming together to install prevention devices.
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“People are very aware of not letting things get into the river that don’t belong in the river, saving water with the rain barrels,” said Jake Versprille
Versprille and another Colonial Place resident, Gary Chiavarotti, have lived in the neighborhood for decades. They say every resident should do their part, because if they do, that’s a lot of water getting off the streets.
“We have about 180 gallons of water in the three containers so that gives us a lot of watering during the summer especially,” Chiavarotti said.
The deadline for the Retain Your Rain grant is March 1, but if you miss that deadline do not fear. The City of Norfolk hands out the grant money twice a year. The next deadline will be September 1.
