Remembering the Buffalo Creek Disaster: 53 Years Later

Slag heap along Buffalo Creek, near Man, WV

On February 26, 1972, disaster struck Logan County, West Virginia. In one of the worst coal-related tragedies in U.S. history, a coal slurry impoundment dam managed by Pittston Coal Company failed, unleashing 132 million gallons of toxic black water onto the communities of Buffalo Creek Hollow. The flood killed 125 people, injured over 1,100, and left more than 4,000 homeless.

What makes this disaster even more tragic is that it was entirely preventable. The dam—built on unstable coal slurry sediment rather than solid bedrock—was declared “satisfactory” by federal inspectors just four days before its collapse. When it failed, it triggered a chain reaction, overwhelming two other impoundment dams downstream and sending a 30-foot wall of sludge and debris rushing through 16 coal towns.
Pittston Coal attempted to avoid responsibility, calling the event “an Act of God.” Two investigations followed: one led by the West Virginia governor, Arch Moore, which many saw as biased toward the coal industry, and another independent citizens’ commission set up after the governor declined to add a coal miner to his commission as requested by UMWA president Arnold Miller and other local leaders. The latter concluded that the coal company was guilty of mass homicide.

Survivors fought for justice, filing lawsuits that resulted in settlements—though far less than what was originally sought. The state of West Virginia sued Pittston for $100 million but settled for just $1 million. Victims’ lawsuits led to a $13.5 million settlement, amounting to roughly $13,000 per person after legal fees.

Despite the devastation, both to the people who lived there and to Buffalo Creek itself from the toxic waste, the waterway has recovered. Decades later, environmental efforts have helped restore Buffalo Creek’s ecosystem, with trout returning to its waters in 2006, marking a return to the creek’s famed days as a go-to place for trout fishermen.