Marking the 38th Anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Disaster
On Feb. 26, 1972, a coal-waste dam at the head of a crowded West Virginia hollow burst. A wall of sludge, debris and water tore through the valley below, leaving in its wake 125 dead and 4,000 homeless. The Pittston Company, owners of the dam, maintained that the disaster was “an act of God.” In response Appalshop filmmaker Mimi Pickering produced "The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man," which powerfully portrays the impact of the disaster. Ten years later she returned to the creek to document the continuing disaster in “Buffalo Creek Revisited,” excerpted here.
Although first released in the 1970s and 1980s, the stories told in these documentaries remain relevant today in light of continuing coal mine fatalities, the growth of huge coal-waste impoundments above coalfield communities, and the inept government response to the Katrina/Rita Hurricane disaster.
In December 2005, the Librarian of Congress placed "The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man," on the National Film Registry, citing it as a ”powerful documentary” that "represents the finest in regional filmmaking." Both films were recently preserved with assistance from the Women’s Film Preservation Fund and Cineric Laboratory and are available from Appalshop. The DVD includes additional video interviews with survivors and a discussion guide. A companion website offers extensive historical background, information on the disaster and resources on current environmental issues in the coalfields.
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