DEP attributes disaster to nearby mining operation
BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
RAGLAND, W.Va. — A massive mudslide early Friday morning knocked two homes off their foundations and upended three coal train cars in Ragland, just outside the town of Delbarton in Mingo County.
The force of the mudslide was so strong it derailed and damaged the three rail cars loaded with coal and spilled the contents onto the track and a nearby bank of Rockhouse Creek.
“About 4:30 this morning I heard a big boom back up on the mountain, and I looked and there was all kinds of mud coming down,” said Ragland resident Sarah Jackson in an interview with Bert Staton, a former radio personality in the Tug Valley area.
The force also washed out Jackson’s storage building and buried several automobiles in mud.
The Delbarton Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene. There were no injuries to the residents, but firefighters rescued several dogs trapped under the debris of the houses which piled up.
Firefighters also had to help one family out of their house who had trouble getting out due to the mud and debris.
“I still can’t fathom the amount of pressure it took to push over loaded train cars of coal,” said Bert Staton, who lives near the affected area.
News outlets said the mudslide was caused by a coal mining operation run by Coal-Mac LLC.
Terry Fletcher, WVDEP chief communications officer, attributed the slide to the failure of a sediment ditch.
WCHS TV reported that Fletcher said the DEP has issued an Imminent Harm Cessation Order and has required Coal-Mac to immediately open access to the community, get the affected residents a place to stay, stabilize/repair the permitted area that caused the slide and remove all mud and debris from the homes.
Coal-Mac has brought equipment to the site to begin remediation activities and is discussing temporary housing with the affected citizens.
The area received a large amount of rain Thursday and Friday morning. Estimated totals were 2.7 inches of rain, which caused several streams to overflow in the region. Many ditches overflowed and caused ponding of water on roadways.
