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American Disasters - Great West Virginia Disasters

Reviewed Resources for Students and Teachers

Great American Disasters State by State

These pages do not begin to cover all the disasters that have taken place in every state. There is also controversy over what constitutes and defines a "great" disaster from any other kind. All disasters are "great" to those directly involved in them.

So these pages are a mix of "great" and "not so great" disasters. The major disasters are all covered in the larger sites I have linked to as resources and the rest are related items of interest.

For example, you might not find a particular major disaster on this list, but it may be included in a site such as gendisasters.com, which is one of the resources found here.

This is an excellent place to begin your research. The links found here lead to an ever widening amount of information. Good luck in your efforts.

About the Hawk's Nest Incident __ "The Hawk's Nest Incident is the story of one of this country's worst industrial disasters. The disaster took place in Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. The incident revolves around the contraction of silicosis while constructing a new hydroelectric power plant." A synopsis. - From Ashley Lucas and Ariadne Paxton -

Aracoma Alma Mine accident __ "The Aracoma Alma Mine accident occurred when a conveyor belt in the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 at Melville in Logan County, West Virginia caught fire." An encyclopedic article. - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aracoma_Alma_Mine_accident

Buffalo Creek Flood __ "The resulting flood unleashed approximately 132 million gallons (500,000,000 L) of black waste water upon the residents of 16 coal mining communities in Buffalo Creek Hollow. Out of a population of 5,000 people, 125 people were killed, 1,121 were injured, and over 4,000 were left homeless." An encyclopedic article. - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Creek_Flood

DC-9 Crashes Killing Marshall Football Team __ "...a Southern Airways DC-9 crashed into a mountain near Huntington, West Virginia killing all 75 passengers and crew. The plane was on final approach and only two miles west of Tri-State Airport." An overview. - From super70s.com - http://www.super70s.com/Super70s/Tech/Aviation/Disasters/70-11-14(SouthernAir).asp

Effects of Hurricane Isabel in West Virginia __ "The effects of Hurricane Isabel in West Virginia left 75% of the state's population without power." an encyclopedic article. - illustrated - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_Hurricane_Isabel_in_West_Virginia



Farmington Mine disaster __ "The Farmington Mine disaster was an explosion that happened at approximately 5:30 a.m. on November 20, 1968, at the Consol No. 9 coal mine near Farmington, West Virginia, USA. The explosion tore a large hole in the mine, and was large enough to be felt in Fairmont, almost twelve miles away." An encyclopedic article. - illustrated - From wikipedia -

FEMA: West Virginia State Disaster History __ West Virginia Disaster History. Major Disaster Declarations. Click on the 'disaster #' on the right side of the list to access detailed information including images and more. - illustrated - From FEMA - http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters_state.fema?id=54

Historic Disasters: West Virginia Disasters __ You will find a list of West Virginia disasters. Each list entry is a live link to additional information. - From olddisasters.blogspot.com - http://olddisasters.blogspot.com/2007/12/west-virginia-disasters.html

Monongah Mining Disaster __ "The worst mining disaster in American History occurred in the community of Monongah, West Virginia on December 6, 1907. Around 10 o'clock in the morning after a full force of 380 men and boys had begun their shift, mines number 6 and 8 of the Consolidated Coal Company shook from the impact of an underground explosion." A good overview. - illustrated - From boisestate.edu - http://www.boisestate.edu/history/ncasner/hy210/mining.htm



Monongah Mining disaster __ "In all, the lives of 362 boys and men were lost in the underground explosion, leaving 250 widows and over 1000 children without support." An encyclopedic article. - From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monongah_Mining_Disaster

NPR : West Virginia Mining Disasters __ "Gov. Joe Manchin has called for a temporary halt to coal mining in West Virginia after the deaths of 16 men in four accidents since Jan. 2. Manchin wants mining to cease until safety checks can be conducted. The deadliest incident was at the Sago mine, where 12 men died." A lot of information in several click-to-read articles. - illustrated - From npr.org - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5133863

Sago Mine Disaster __ "The blast and ensuing aftermath trapped thirteen miners for nearly two days, only one of whom survived. It was the worst mining disaster in the U.S. since a 2001 disaster in Alabama ..." An encyclopedic article. - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sago_Mine_Disaster

Southern Airways Flight 932 __ "...the aircraft crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all seventy-five people on board.[1] The plane was carrying the thirty-seven members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football squad, eight members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters, four flight crew members, and one employee of the charter company." An encyclopedic article. - illustrated - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Airways_Flight_932

Super Outbreak __ "The Super Outbreak is the largest tornado outbreak on record. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 US states and one Canadian province: Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and New York." An encyclopedic article. - illustrated - From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Outbreak

West Virginia Coal Mining Disasters __ Long list of mining disasters with each listing being a live link to additional material. - From rootsweb.com - http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvcoal/disaster.html

West Virginia Disasters Floods, Fires, Tornadoes, Mine Explosions ... __ West Virginia Disasters. Events that touched our ancestor's lives: West Virginia floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, storms, mining accidents, explosions. Many click to read articles and resources. - illustrated - From gendisasters.com - http://www.gendisasters.com/wv/

West Virginia Earthquake Information __ An overview and history of earthquakes in West Virginia - From usgs.gov - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states.php?regionID=48


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