Victims of the Coal Industry

Knoxnews has a story on the residents affected by the Kingston sludge flood of coal fly ash. One of those residents is Chris Copeland:

Copeland, a firefighter at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said he's lived in the area for 40 years and grew up boating on the cove in front of his house, an extension of the Emory River.

The sludge has encroached 10 feet farther into his yard than the usual winter pool level, and the scenic landscape is replaced by 15-foot-high piles of ash.

"It's changed forever, I don't see how this can be brought back," Copeland said.

No injuries were reported after the deluge swept across the landscape, covering the area with water, mud and ash.

"We've got a mess," said Tom Hamby of the Roane County Highway Department. "The problem is, you don't know what's under this stuff."

According to a CDC report, exposure to coal fly ash may alter cellular defenses and promote viral infections. Kingston residents may be paying for this disaster with more than their money.


UPDATE: Knoxnews also has an exhaustive list of links to news on the disaster, including passage to tweets.