On February 26, at about this time in the morning, a dam broke at the head of Buffalo Creek hollow in West Virginia. The Buffalo Creek Flood. Sixteen small towns were wiped away and 125 people died.
In exactly one month from today, the 50th anniversary will come.
A first-hand account of the legal battle is from Gerald Stern, The Buffalo Creek Disaster. Stern was the chief counsel for the plaintiffs.
This is a very gripping page-turner, filled with lots of great lawyer stories and insights. Now, with all the political talk of Manchin and West Virginia and fossil fuels and climate catastrophe, it is time for all Kossak readers to bone up on this piece of history.
Pittston corporation paid out $13.5 million, after initially calling the flood an “act of God” and subsequently fighting all sorts of ways to avoid accountability.
Read this book now, as the anniversary approaches. I’ll say more if there are comments, and I’ll comment in the weeks ahead when opportunity arises.
Peace and Justice.