Some 300 other residents were still reported missing in the wake of flash flooding caused by the collapse of a dam early Saturday. The disaster at Buffalo Creek remains one of America’s most costly and deadly preventable mining related catastrophes. Shirley Marcum, a survivor of the Buffalo Creek Flood On February 26, 1972, a coal waste dam owned by the Pittston Company collapsed at the head of a crowded hollow in southern West Virginia. On February 26, 1972, a huge earthen dam constructed by a coal company without any engineering input collapsed. The resulting flood killed 125 people and caused over $50 million in damage. Buffalo Creek, Colorado, Fire and Flood of 1996. by William Agnew, Robert E. Lahn, & Michael V. Harding. An aerial view of part of the flooded area of Buffalo Creek shows the damage and destruction suffered by many. Junction of Buffalo Creek and the Guyandotte River at Man, 1997 [Photo by Greg Clark] The flood water first emptied into the Guyandotte River at Man at 10:00 a.m. By 11:00, all of the flood water had poured into the Guyandotte and virtually everything in its path was gone. The Buffalo Creek flood of February 26, 1972, was one of the pre-eminent disasters of Appalachia's history. In late February 1972 a coal waste impoundment dam along the Buffalo Creek in Logan County, West Virginia collapsed. ... aerial maps of communities before and after and outlines of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers disaster recovery operation. Close. Buffalo Creek flood survivor Timothy Hall recalls the devastating disaster during a 48th anniversary memorial ceremony at the Buffalo Creek Memorial Library on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. The two best-known book length studies of Buffalo Creek … 1 of 29 Buy Now. In a few short minutes, the dam virtually disappeared, and a torrent of water began a 17-mile trip down the narrow Buffalo Creek valley in rural Logan County, West Virginia. The Buffalo Creek Flood Disaster on Feb. 26, 1972 was the worse in West Virginia killing 125 people. Man -- The number of deaths stood at 60 Sunday as cleanup operations entered their second day today in the Buffalo Creek area of Logan County. FLOOD TOLL 60, CONFUSION REIGNS. A wall of sludge, debris, and water tore through the valley below, leaving in its wake 125 dead and 4000 homeless. This is a first-hand account from an eyewitness. During the flood, 125 people lost their lives and another 1,100 were injured. They were filled to capacity, holding tons of coal wastewater. 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