Monteea, who had to close her dance studio during the water crisis, describes the disorganized response and different official responses in Putnam County and Kanawha County. She also describes her perspective on this crisis as a long-time resident of “Chemical Valley,” including the realities of living in an area where drinking water and swimming holes are frequently contaminated with chemicals. She believes that this contributes to the high cancer rate in her area.
Malissa talks about using a Teamsters semi-truck to help the National Guard make water deliveries, the difficulties of getting water to the people who need it most, her husband’s work as a county sheriff and National Guard member during the water crisis, her experiences with the water crisis announcement, and her feelings about West Virginians and how they’re responding to the crisis.
Ronnie speaks about his experience of the water crisis, his opinion on the regulations and procedures that should be implemented, and who is responsible for the chemical spill.
In our business,the Winfield Quick Stop (Sunoco), we are unable to make coffee because the coffee makers are connected to the local water source, which the health department required us to discontinue using after the contamination. Saturday morning I called our wholesaler, Liberty USA. I spoke with Liz, the owner’s daughter, about our situation. I ask her to send us coffee makers that we could pour clean water into so we could have safe coffee. She had her warehouse manager to bring us two coffee makers, 30 cases of water, extra coffee, & cups. They pulled through for us & we greatly appreciated them. We now have fresh, safe coffee for our community. Thank you Liberty USA!!!! Located In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We are serving free coffee at this time.
Sadara talks about the challenges of finding water to make bottles for her toddler, concerns about the long-term health effects of the water crisis, knowing people who were hospitalized due to skin rashes,how the crisis affects small businesses that “can’t afford” the losses, and her thoughts on how the media is covering the water crisis.
I filmed this video of the West Virginia Water Crisis yesterday afternoon. After you let the water run about ten seconds, the smell became so strong. It did smell like licorice or anise seed. It was overpowering. You can also see there are more bubbles than usual in tap water (there are always some because of the chemicals used in water treatment plants). But this water was fizzy.
I took this video last night, Saturday, November 11 at the Winfield Quick Stop in Putnam County. The wind was blowing strong gusts of the “licorice” smell even though the spill was three days ago.
Connie Lewis of Winfield, West Virginia describes having to travel to relatives’ homes for showers, the shortage of paper products during a time when dishwashing is difficult and ill-advised, and having friends hospitalized due to the effects of the West Virginia water crisis.
Larry Hayden, a former coal miner living in Buffalo, West Virginia speaks his opinion on how the West Virginia Water Crisis is caused by a chemical spill that was commonplace in his time working in the coal mines of WV. Now he is worried that these past events have caused long-term pollution.
This is my mom and me on our way to the store. We drive through Eleanor, WV where the National Guard and Red Cross set up a water filling/distribution station and across the Kanawha River and into Winfield, WV.
This morning, I heard unconfirmed reports on the ground that it will be three days before water is potable (safe to drink).
Sorry about the incorrect dates I stated at the beginning of the video. It’s been a crazy time reporting here and I barely know what day it is without a calendar. The chemical spill into the Elk River occurred the morning of Thursday, January 9 and was reported to the public at 5 pm that evening. I filmed this vlog the morning of Sunday, January 12. I spent all day yesterday filming and blogging about the #WaterCrisis and all day Friday live tweeting all news and on-the-ground updates. I have many more updates and stories to tell. So please keep checking back. I have some wonderful friends now helping me edit and upload new videos. Thanks, Jen and Meg!
I also plan to have a more formal reflection on the events of the past few days soon. There are much larger, long-term concerns that I want to talk about, especially within the context of history of the exploitation of the environment and people of West Virginia.
Thank you to everyone who has viewed and shared this blog. People need to know what is going on here in West Virginia and start thinking about what has been going on here for decades.
You can also follow me for updates on Twitter: @klbryson
West Virginia Water Crisis 