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Aerial View of Buffalo Creek area taken the day after impoundment dam #3 failed.

The Buffalo Creek Flood was an accident that occurred on February 26, 1972 at approximately 8:00 am, a coal slurry impoundment dam built on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia, USA by the Pittston Coal Company burst, unleashing approximately 132 million US gallons (500 000 000 L) of black waste water upon the residents of 16 coal mining communities in Buffalo Creek Hollow. 125 people were killed, 1,121 were injured, and over 4000 were left homeless. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Download high resolution version (1050x662, 733 KB)Aerial View of Buffalo Creek Area, West Virginia, U.S.A. taken after failure of dam #3. ... Download high resolution version (1050x662, 733 KB)Aerial View of Buffalo Creek Area, West Virginia, U.S.A. taken after failure of dam #3. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... A slurry is a sloppy mixture, which comes in different varieties: Metal Slurry can be used in pipe fitting and other welding tasks, as well as slurry based bombs like the BLU-82. ... Scrivener Dam, in Canberra, Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ... Logan County is a county located in the state of West Virginia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 41st 62,809 km² 210 km 385 km 0. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the extraction of coal from the Earth for use as fuel. ...

625 adult survivors sued the Pittston Coal Company, seeking $32,000,000 in damages, but settled in June 1974 for $13,500,000. A second suit was filed by 348 child survivors, who sought $225,000,000, but settled for $4,800,000 in June 1974. The state of West Virginia also sued the company for $100,000,000 for disaster and relief damages, but Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr. settled for just $1,000,000 three days before leaving office in 1977. Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 41st 62,809 km² 210 km 385 km 0. ... Arch Alfred Moore, Jr. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

Gerald M. Stern, an attorney with the law firm of Arnold and Porter wrote a book titled The Buffalo Creek Disaster about his experiences in representing the victims of the flood. The book includes descriptions of his experiences in dealing with the political and legal environment of West Virginia, where the influence of large coal mining operations is significant. Sociologist Kai T. Erikson, son of Erik Erikson, wrote a study on the effects of the disaster on the Buffalo Creek community entitled Everything In Its Path. The book later went on to win the Sorokin Award, an accolade handed out by the American Sociological Association for "outstanding contribution to the progress of sociology." Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ... Erik Homburger Erikson (June 15, 1902 - May 12, 1994) was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on social development of human beings, and for coining the phrase identity crisis. ... The American Sociological Association (ASA), founded in 1905, is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions. ...

In 2005, rock group American Minor released their first single, called "Buffalo Creek", after the disaster, with a refrain that went "Iord i never felt so weak, till the day the dam broke down at Buffalo Creek".

See also

• 2006 Aracoma Alma Mine disaster
• The Buffalo Creek Disaster ISBN 0-394-72343-0
• Everything In Its Path ISBN 0-671-24067-6

The 2006 Aracoma Alma Mine disaster occured when a conveyer belt in the Aracoma Alma Mine No. ...

References

• Buffalo Creek Disaster. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. URL accessed on April 27, 2005.
• Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man. Appalshop.org. URL accessed on April 27, 2005.
• Voices of Buffalo Creek. Charleston Gazette. URL accessed on April 27, 2005.
• Buffalo Creek Flood. Marshall University Special Collections. URL accessed on April 27, 2005.