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September 11, 2005
Is West Virginia Prepared for a Katrina-Style Disaster?
by Dave Cooper
As the devastation from Hurricane Katrina unfolds in living rooms across America, one thing that stands out is the inadequacy of the response by FEMA to the devastation. The FEMA organization seems to be in turmoil, unable to respond quickly, poorly informed about crises hot spots, and led by political appointees with little experience in disaster relief. This is a great concern for those in the coalfields of West Virginia and eastern Kentucky who have relied on FEMA for help when flash floods hit the coalfields.Yet the best and most effective way to save lives is to plan before a disaster hits.
Many of the deaths in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast could probably have been prevented with better planning. Clearly the evacuation plans could have been better. Before the hurricane hit, traffic was snarled on the interstates as people tried to leave the Gulf Coast en masse. Tens of thousands of people without transportation - the poor, the elderly, the homeless - were left behind. Some residents refused to leave because they wanted to protect their property from looters, or because they didn't want to abandoned their beloved pets.
These are big logistical problems, but planners have conducted mock evacuation exercises for many years, and none of this should have come as a surprise.
For years, residents of the Coal River Valley have complained to county government officials about the inadequacy of evacuation plans in the event of a coal slurry spill like the Buffalo Creek disaster, or the Martin County spill.
For example, in the event of a coal slurry disaster at the Brushy Fork impoundment, emergency evacuation plans require residents to travel upstream - towards the dam - to reach shelter. Engineering calculations have revealed that if the Brushy Fork impoundment fails, the slurry will be at least 30 feet deep for many miles along the narrow and steep Coal River Valley. A similar plan requiring an upstream evacuation towards a slurry impoundment is in place in the Mingo County community of Delbarton. At public meetings, Delbarton residents repeatedly questioned Mingo County officials, but the emergency evacuation plan was unchanged.
And at Marsh Fork Elementary School, a single school bus is provided to evacuate over 250 school children in the event of a disaster at Massey's Goals Coal impoundment located directly above the school.
A recent article in the Lexington Herald Leader ("Evacuation Plans in Kentucky: Primary Responsibility lies with Counties," Sept 10 2005) reveals that many Kentucky counties have only sketchy plans for evacuation in the event of an emergency. Some county evacuation plans are only two pages long, containing a road map and a list of phone numbers. Some have outdated contact information. For more information, see: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/12608591.htm
Yet the social demographics and geography of the Appalachian coalfields and the Mississippi delta have some striking parallels: poverty, a difficult and challenging terrain, poor roads, limited or non-existent public transportation, and a high percentage of disabled or elderly population.
If another coal slurry disaster hits West Virginia, will we be prepared? With little advance warning time, how would the disabled and elderly be moved out of harm's way? Are there warning sirens at every coal impoundment to warn local residents of an impending disaster? Would everyone know where to go?
In Gulf Coast communities, signs are clearly posted on highways for the Hurricane Evacuation Route. Why don't we have these in the coalfields?
In the sad wake of Hurricane Katrina, it's time for county disaster planning officials to take a hard look our disaster preparedness. Coalfield residents should take a strong stand on this issue, before attention fades from Katrina. Coal slurry impoundments have failed before, and will fail again. We must be prepared when disaster strikes.
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