The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man

Mimi Pickering. 1975. 16 mm Film.
In 1972 a coal-waste dam owned by the Pittston Company collapsed at the head of a crowded hollow in southern West Virginia. A wall of sludge, debris, and water tore through the valley below, leaving in its wake 125 dead and 4,000 homeless. Interviews with survivors, representatives of union and citizen’s groups, and officials of the Pittston Company are juxtaposed with actual footage of the flood and scenes of the ensuing devastation. As reasons for the disaster are sought out and examined, evidence mounts that company officials knew of the hazard in advance of the flood, and that the dam was in violation of state and federal regulations. The Pittston Company, however, continued to deny any wrongdoing, maintaining that the disaster was an “act of God.” In 2005 Buffalo Creek Flood was inducted to the National Film Registry, an annual list of 25 films that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to the United States.
“A devastating expose of the collusion between state officials and coal executives … a powerful piece of muckraking on film.” - Newsweek
“Admirable for its ability to strike a balance between emotion and analysis, the film speaks to us on the human level of universal loss and suffering. But it is also a political film that reflects the decades of abuse and frustration experienced by miners and their families.” - Film Quarterly
“Outstanding! A very powerful film.” - St. Lawrence University
“Very accurately reflects the despair and frustration of a community caught in a web of corporate red tape.” - MediaDigest
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[@dariwhites]

This was so heart breaking

[@cashflashtrash]

such a great documentary, as always! i had never even heard of this tragedy, but i knew about aberfan, which i find odd because this event occurred so much closer to me geographically. the coal fields cost so many, so much.

[@susansch1955]

Recommand podcast Disastrous History - great technical Background informations paird with stories of survivers

[@shawng7902]

Scariest thing ever. Water at what 8#/gal. Sludge probably 5x that. Take a few million pounds of destruction moving that fast, nothing can stop it.

[@FoRdPaVoR]

Its quite a story especially living in the very grounds were it all happened and hearing stories from my grandpa its kinda scary knowing all this happened on the very ground i live on

[@TradBarbie]

2:50 I thought that was Jesco at first. Sounds exactly like him.

[@rdallas81]

That damn dam, dammit

[@PatrickBaptist]

I keep damming up my creek saying the same thing, I've had 3 dams fall myself but thankfully I didn't damage anything down stream lol. Im not joking, there's videos of it on YT, it's only about 5' high though, it's not extreme or anything lol.