How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won gerald m. The buffalo creek disaster by gerald m stern 9780307388490. Sterns lucidity and anger as he details the complex. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Choose from 44 different sets of buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards on quizlet. In a matter of minutes, 118 were dead and over 4,000 people were left homeless. Stern, is an account of how the survivors of the worst disasters in coal mining history, picked gerald m. One of the countrys worst miningrelated disasters occurred february 26, 1972, on buffalo creek in logan county. This assignment is also designed to help improve undergraduate student writing outcomes.
The buffalo creek disaster book summary images all. Learn buffalo creek disaster stern with free interactive flashcards. Published by stern in 1976, his book chronicles the events preceding and following the buffalo creek flood of 1972. The 1972 west virginia flood disaster, by tom nugent new york. The flood killed 125 of them, injured 1,000, and left 4,000. The buffalo creek disaster is a book by gerald m stern, about how the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coalmining company.
This book is particularly significant in the aftermath of the teton dam disaster in idaho this past june. Buffalo creek case notes buffalocreeknotes motions. Buffalo creek disaster ye hao gbl395 summer 2014 synopsis. Negligent strip mining and heavy rain produced a raging flood. A great book about the history of the disaster while telling the human.
Although a book for laymen, it is still used in many law school civil procedure courses. For the flood that followed the collapse of west virginias buffalo creek dam in 1972. Why was proving the buffalo creek mining was reckless and wanton an important issue. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment d. The disaster cause by a dam corruption which was used to block black water produced in mining procedures. The buffalo creek mining company bcmc is a subsidiary firm of the pittston co. Buffalo creek disaster at michigan state university studyblue. Buffalo creek disaster book summary sparknotes image. The west virginia mining catastrophe killed 125 people, mostly women and children. This is seen immediately after the disaster, where the pittston company is claiming the disaster is an act of god, when in fact, it had neglected renovating the dams drainage system. All notes and memoranda of a any and all interviews conducted by pittston or buffalo creek mining employees or agents within fortyeight hours of the february, 1972, dam burst as well as b any and all observations recorded by such employees or agents within the same period.
The book is a paperback edition, and, despite its 1976 publication date, continues to be available. Nov 29, 2018 buffalo creek disaster book summary sparknotes november 29, 2018 the peoples resilience framework help global report on water and disasters ysis of a deep seated landslide in stava valley tailings dams map united states library of congress. A classic book on this harrowing subject, the retelling of the buffalo creek flood in 1972 is wrenching and heartbreaking, also an indictment of a coal company that could have, and should have, provided safeguards against the very thing that caused this disaster in the first place, i. One of the most significant mining disaster happened at a little valley that located in buffalo count, west virginia in february 1972. The buffalo creek disaster buffalo creek hollow was a small valley that consisted of about seventeen coal communities which were adjacent to buffalo creek when operation of the mine commenced in 1945 the practice dumping of slurry, or coal mining waste into the hollow also began.
The story of the survivors unprecedented lawsuit, by gerald m stern new york. Buffalo creek timeline college of law west virginia. More than thirty years ago, one of the deadliest floods in u. The buffalo creek disaster occurred in logan county, west virginia on 26 february 1972 when water and coal mining refuse burst through a dam owned by the buffalo mining company, a subsidiary of the pittston coal company. The buffalo creek disaster meet your next favorite book. The buffalo creek disaster logan wv history and nostalgia. This page will have archives of old newspaper articles, photographs, and hopefully some audio clips of people discussing the disaster. The disaster at buffalo creek remains one of americas most. The novel like diction allocates readers to fully entrench themselves in to the lives of the buffalo creek survivors. One of worst floods in us occurred here 26 february 1972, when buffalo mining co. Disaster appropriation the buffalo creek disaster in february of 1972 was, in no manner of exaggeration, a horrific and awful event.
No one could be more qualified to write on this topic than stern, this is true because stern was the lawyer who took on the case and won. The day was february 26, 1972, a day that will live on in the hearts and minds of the victims and survivors of the buffalo creek disaster. This lawsuit would be proper to file in district court of west virginia as compared to the federal court. About the buffalo creek disaster one saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the pittston coal company burst, sending a million gallon, 25 foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris crashing into southern west virginia s buffalo creek hollow. Book buffalo creek disaster book summary sparknotes november 29, 2018. Sterns the buffalo creek disaster in terms of critiquing the authors thesis, supporting arguments, supporting evidence and authority, style, and content. Worse than a tornado or an earthquake because it was completely and utterly avoidable. The disaster killed 125 people, injured more than 1,000, and left about 4,000 people homeless. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal company and won 9780307388490 by stern, gerald m. Paper details read the buffalo creek disaster and write a reflection incorporating a discussion of ethics. In late february 1972 a coal waste impoundment dam along the buffalo creek in logan county, west virginia collapsed. Students are expected to have a minimum word count of words.
One, the buffalo creek disaster, about the case itself, was by jerry stern. A blowbyblow account of a landmark lawsuit by the chief attorney for the survivors of the 72 buffalo creek disaster. I am neither the first nor the only teacher using buffalo creek materials to supplement a civil procedure course. Although this book will give you a summary of this ecological disaster, but it is less about the disaster itself and more about the litigation that would follow it. For the buffalo creek disaster, like the recent coal mine fire tragedies at farmington, west virginia, and at hyden, kentucky, could have been prevented it need not have happened.
There were about 5,000 people living in the communities along buffalo creek, places like kistler, robinette, stowe, lorado and pardee. The resulting flood unleashed approximately 2 million us gallons of black waste water, cresting over 30 feet high, upon the residents of sixteen coal towns along buffalo creek hollow. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the due to covid19, orders may be delayed. The buffalo creek disaster read a free informative essay at. The buffalo creek coal mining company was a succesfully running company back in the times of 19th century. Buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards and study sets quizlet. The nook book ebook of the the buffalo creek disaster. The buffalo creek disaster essay 3619 words bartleby. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the pittston coal company burst, sending a million gallon, 25 foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris crashing into southern west virginias buffalo creek hollow. Sep 05, 1976 this book is particularly significant in the aftermath of the teton dam disaster in idaho this past june. Clearly and simply, people living downstream from the buffalo mining companys coal refuse dam at saunders were the victims of gross negligence. The purpose of this assignment is for students to think critically about ethics and law.