WHITESVILLE, W.Va. — On April 5, 2010, a coal dust explosion ripped through Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County nearly 1,000 feet underground.
“It was kind of a surreal experience because no one knew for days what was really going on,” said Sheila Combs, president of the Upper Big Branch Mining Memorial Group.
The disaster left 29 men dead and two injured.
Tuesday marked six years since the blast, but Combs said there is still heartache.
“I was on the Facebook page and it’s not just families (posting), it’s the whole community. There’s still a lot of healing to be done,” she said.
On Wednesday night, Combs and others who work at the UBB Mine Memorial in Whitesville placed two wreaths at the site in observance of the anniversary.
“We did one big wreath for the miners and then we did a wreath to honor the first responders,” she said.
Combs said they made sure to have the wreaths in place the night before so that coal miners could stop by on their way to work Tuesday morning. The public is encouraged to visit the memorial all day.
More than anything, Combs said Tuesday was not about the disaster itself. She said it was about honoring the 29 lives.
“People are posting family pictures, pictures with children and parents, just remembering the ones that are gone now. It’s about honoring them,” she said. “We feel like an event such as this should never be forgotten.”
At the time, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) was West Virginia’s Governor. In a statement, issued Tuesday, he said, he too, felt the pain and sadness endured that day.
“Six years ago I grieved with the miners’ families, West Virginians and the entire nation during the hours and days after the unspeakable mining tragedy at Upper Big Branch,” Manchin said. “Today on this sad anniversary, our hearts weigh heavy as we remember the tragic Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the 29 brave West Virginia miners we lost that day, who went to work and never returned home to their loved ones. I stayed with the miners’ loved ones through moments of hope and despair in the days following the devastating tragedy and saw the unbreakable bonds of family.”
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said the memories from that day are still fresh in the minds of those West Virginia families and other members of the community.
“My heart still aches for the families of the 29 miners whose lives were forever changed on April 5, 2010. As our state continues to heal from this tragedy, I will continue my efforts to protect our coal miners who selflessly put their lives at risk in order to provide for their families and power our state,” Capito said in a statement.
West Virginia Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) said he is also sending prayers to families and loved ones.
“These fathers, sons, brothers and friends will forever be missed and will forever be remembered,” Jenkins said in a statement. “Our coal miners work dangerous and difficult jobs to provide for their families and for West Virginia, and I will continue to work in Congress to protect our miners, our families, and all West Virginians.”
The 29 miners who lost their lives are as follows:
Carl “Pee Wee” Acord
Jason Atkins
Christopher Bell
Gregory Brock
Kenneth Chapman
Robert Clark
Cory Davis
Charles Davis
Michael “Cuz” Elswick
William Ildon “Bob” Griffith
Steven “Smiley” Harrah
Edward Jones
Richard Lane
William Roosevelt Lynch
Joe Marcum
Ronald Maynor
Nicolas McCroskey
James “Eddie” Mooney
Adam Morgan
Rex Mullins
Joshua Napper
Howard “Boone” Payne
Dillard Earl “Dewey” Persinger
Joel “Jody” Price
Gary Wayne Quarles
Deward Scott
Grover Dale Skeens
Benny Willingham
Ricky Workman