Mountain Kentucky

The emotional impact of a natural disaster may linger for weeks or months.  Such is the situation facing people in eastern Kentucky communities like Salyersville.  Although there was no loss of life, the recent tornado caused extensive physical damage in Salyersville.  Angie Conley is a registered nurse at the HOPE Family Medical Center in Salyersville.  For some survivors, Conley says the trauma can linger.

Besides physical damage to structures and people who stand in their way, natural disasters like a tornado can do damage that’s not always visible.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental ailment often associated with combat veterans.  Eastern Kentucky psychologist Mark J-Hovee told WEKU’S Stu Johnson surviving a tornado can bring on similar symptoms.

Relief, Recovery, Reflection, and Rebuilding all follow a natural disaster like the one that’s struck much of the Commonwealth.  All four elements were found Wednesday in the south central Kentucky community of East Bernstadt.  The east Bernstadt fire station now serves as the emergency response command post.   It’s really a simple process.  People who want to help, come in, sign a volunteer sheet and are dispatched to a work site.  Among them is Marsha Hodge, who lives in nearby London, but goes to church is in East Bernstadt.  ‘I think it’s doing good…I think a lot of people are chipping in and helping..a lot of the churches…I think we’re doing good as a community,” said Hodge.

The people of eastern Kentucky are mobilizing to help their neighbors. A group of churches in Mount Sterling is collecting relief supplies for the people of nearby West Liberty.  Organizing the effort is city Public Works Director Steve Lane.  A work crew led by Lane cleared a path into West Liberty on Friday evening, just after the Tornado struck.

FRANKFORT – A mining accident in Harlan County has claimed the life of one miner. Preliminary reports indicate the miner was repairing a canopy – the protective covering over a shuttle car – when the canopy collapsed. The miner has not yet been identified and there are no other reported injuries. The accident was reported at 5:40 a.m. Saturday, according to a state press release.

A powerful storm that hit about 6 p.m. Friday smashed the core of West Liberty in Morgan County city into rubble. Endre Samu, in the public affairs office of Kentucky State Police in Morehead, said three people were dead in West Liberty and at least 75 were injured. Emergency responders and citizens hastily banded together to form search parties during the night. Morgan County Deputy Sheriff Kenny Dulin said dozens of people were missing.

At least four people died in the East Bernstadt area of Laurel County Friday night after a severe storm moved through the area, according to county officials. At least 27 people were transported to Saint Joseph Hospital in London, said Albert Hale, director of emergency management for Laurel County.

Kentucky State police in Morehead on Friday said they had received reports of tornado damage in West Liberty. The National Weather Service in Jackson said it had received unconfirmed reports of major damage and possibility fatalities there.State police in Morehead said they had received reports of a tornado causing damage in West Liberty. The Morgan County town, about 80 miles east of Lexington, was severely damaged by a storm on Wednesday. The most serious damage occurred at the Country Carpet outlet, which lost its roof. Damage Wednesday mainly was centered in an area along U.S. 460 and Ky. 191 west of town.  To learn the latest on tornado, storm and flood warnings and watches, click here.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has cited four Kentucky coal mines for safety violations. The mines were among 16 nationwide with a history of compliance problems targeted in MSHA’s special impact inspections. The mines cited were Exel Mining’s Van Lear Mine in Martin County, Perry County Coal’s E4-1 Mine and two Harlan County mines owned by K and D Mining and D&C Mining Corporation.

A house was destroyed by fire at Black Mountain on Friday, and within an hour, a church was burning no more than 200 yards away. The Harlan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fires, and according to sheriff Marvin Lipfird, he has a suspect. “Because of the quick action by several fire departments and the diligent effort by the firefighters, they were able to contain the fire in the church,” Lipfird said.

An eastern Kentucky mining company and three of its top officials are facing indictment by a federal grand jury. But even so, federal indictments for mine safety violations are rare. A federal grand jury says Manalapan Mining Company and three of its officials willfully violated federal mine safety rules. The indictment says the mine operations manager, superintendent and foreman “failed to report and record hazardous conditions” at Manalapan’s P-1 Mine in Harlan County. The period they’re targeting culminated in a miner being killed by a roof collapse last summer.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has overturned a previous ruling that restricts coal mining on Wilson Creek in Floyd County. In 2006, residents of Wilson Creek asked the Energy and Environment Cabinet to declare the area unsuitable for mining. They cited concerns about water quality, flooding and the destruction of renewable resources. The cabinet rejected the petition, but placed certain restrictions on mining in the area.

Eastern Kentucky counties continued to dig out Monday from a weekend snow that left more than 34,000 customers without power at one point. Hardest hit were Perry, Knott, Leslie and Letcher counties, where 6 to 8 inches of snow brought down tree limbs and utility lines. Breathitt, Pike and Floyd counties also had significant outages.

Approximately 1,200 homes in Harlan County were reported without electricity on Sunday as snow blanketed the area. Kentucky Utilities spokesman Cliff Feltham said less than 50 homes were still left without power on Monday.

Although much of central Kentucky was spared this past weekend, that certainly wasn’t the case in eastern Kentucky where snowfall was moderate to heavy.  David Shellenberger is with the national weather service in Jackson.  “Looking at our snow totals..the highest total we’ve gotten so far is at Shelby Gap and that’s in Pike County,” said Schellenberger.

Lancaster Mayor Brenda Powers refused to resign Monday and asked for a full public hearing to answer allegations made against her last week by members of the Lancaster City Council. In addition, Powers accused city council members of violating the state Open Meetings Act and said she would ask the state attorney general's office to investigate. Last week, members of the city council presented Powers with a memorandum outlining more than 20 allegations of misconduct, willful neglect of duties and incapacity. The memorandum, signed by five of the six council members, sought her resignation by Monday.

Coal truck traffic is causing major problems on some Pike County roads, officials said this week. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Pike County Fiscal Court, court members voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency on a pair of state highways in Pike County, in part because the volume of coal truck traffic on the narrow, winding highways is creating a traffic hazard.

Alpha Natural Resources Inc. has announced the closure of four mines in Kentucky and West Virginia and reduced coal production at others. “In Harlan County, two of the Still House Mining Companies are being closed, one being Mine Number One known as Perkins Branch and the other is Cave Spur,” said Alpha Natural Resources Corporate Communications Vice President Ted Pile. The closing will put 129 miners out of work in Harlan County, Pile said.

Alpha Natural Resources is idling or reducing production at 10 mines in Kentucky and West Virginia. The company is blaming poor market conditions for coal. Alpha is idling two underground mines in Harlan County. The company also plans on phasing out production on two surface mines—one in Harlan County and one in Knott County. Alpha was able to relocate 52 of the miners to other operations, but 168 are without jobs. Three of the four mines were originally owned by Massey Energy, which Alpha bought last year.

The federal government today announced the third phase of a program designed to reduce the number of fatalities in the nation’s mines. The first two phases of MSHA’s “Rules to Live By” focused on the most frequently cited violations that contributed to both individual deaths and major mining accidents. In this third phase, the agency is pinpointing the most common accidents that caused mine fatalities over the last decade. Miners will receive extra training in those areas, and inspectors will be taught to better recognize those hazards.