Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man

Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man
Year
1975
Minutes
39
Film Location
West Virginia
Credits/Bios
Mimi Pickering
Appalshop

On February 26, 1972 in West Virginia, a Pittson Company coal-waste dam collapsed at the top of Buffalo Creek Hollow, leaving 125 dead and 4,000 homeless. Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man juxtaposes interviews with survivors, union and citizen’s groups representatives, and company officials. Pittson executives knew of the hazard in advance of the flood and that the dam’s structure violated state and federal regulations. Nevertheless, the Pittston Company denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the disaster was an act of God.