Buffalo Creek: 35 Years Have Not Erased Memories

Buffalo Creek – a disaster waiting to repeat itself…

What happens when sludge ponds attack?!

…Within minutes, 125 people were dead, 1,100 were injured and more than 4,000 were homeless. The flood demolished 546 homes and damaged 943 more. A thousand cars and trucks were destroyed. Property damage was estimated at $50 million. By 11 a.m., the wall of water had emptied into the river and most signs of civilization that had been in its path were gone.

Learn more about the current dangers imposed on Appalachian communities at sludgesafety.org.

The Sludge Safety Project will sponsor “Never Again,” a memorial of the Buffalo Creek catastrophe at 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, on the House side of the WV state Capitol’s Upper Rotunda in Charleston, WV. Details here.

About JW Randolph

Raised on the banks of the Tennessee River, JW's work to create progress in his home state and throughout Appalachia has been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily Kos and Grist. He served first as Appalachian Voices’ Legislative Associate and then Tennessee director until leaving to pursue a career in medicine in 2012.