EXCLUSIVE Water Whistleblower: Healthcare Worker Reveals Surge of Sick Patients, Dying Animals from Poisoned Water in Coal Country West Virginia
"Digesting all these chemicals that we are seeing can cause cancer," healthcare worker who's seeing sick patients in Wyoming County tells Jordan about water likely contaminated by local coal mines
Hey folks, it’s Jordan. If you can, please support this important—and expensive—ON-THE-GROUND reporting few others do.
As we drove up and down the backwoods of Wyoming County West Virginia talking with sick residents who live right next to contaminated Indian Creek, we ran into a healthcare worker who has been seeing a SURGE in sick patients exhibiting the same symptoms.
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Headaches
Rapid weight loss
“People are coming in and they’re having extreme abdominal cramps to the points that they’re crying,” the healthcare worker, who we are keeping anonymous to protect them from any professional repercussions, told Jordan. “They’re sweating from fevers and it’s very painful—it’s not just a normal diarrhea.” WATCH THE INTERVIEW ABOVE.
The people she was referring to are some of the poorest in America; we spoke with many yesterday who have been sickened over the last year after Wyoming County’s water was contaminated—they believe by local coal mining and the gas industry.
"Digesting all these chemicals that we are seeing can cause cancer," the healthcare worker told me. Beyond the CRISIS of these residents developing acute illnesses that may lead to worse in the near future, dogs, cats, roosters, fish, and deer—who all are drinking contaminated well or creek water—have been dying at alarming rates.
“I’ve been seeing raccoons, been seeing deer dead, been seeing my dog— it’s just like their sick one day and they're dead the next before you can even take them to the vet or anything,” Indian Creek resident Cody Day told me as we stood besides HORRID-smelling Indian Creek. That creek flows into the Guyandotte River, which then flows into the Ohio River (which five million people get their drinking water from).
Sadly, two of his dogs—who both drank from Indian Creek across from his home—have died.
“Within the last year, we noticed the really bad smell here on Indian Creek; we were told you’re not even supposed to be inhaling that,” the healthcare worker told me. “We’re just seeing a lot of the same symptoms but nothing’s really being done to treat these symptoms. There’s nothing that really can be done.”
Meanwhile, in a LONG email that reeked of B.S., the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection responded to my questions by telling me that based on their sampling, the area water is in "compliance with applicable water quality standards" (basically the same nonsense the Michigan environmental department told Flint residents for a year and a half as they hoisted brown water and sported body rashes).
We have a lot more reporting and content from this important reporting trip/story that we’ll be sharing soon. Sadly, the national nor local West Virginia media are covering a REAL-TIME WATER DISASTER sickening and killing residents and animals. The state’s politicians are also silent— not responding to my multiple requests for comment. Here’s their contacts:
Governor Jim Justice Office:
304-558-2000
Governor Jim Justice Mansion:
304-558-3588
Senator Joe Manchin:
202-224-3954 (D.C)
304-342-5855 (Charleston WV)
Senator Shelley Moore Capito:
202-224-6472 (D.C)
304-347-5372 (Charleston WV)
Rep. Carol Miller:
202-225-3452 (D.C)
304-250-6177 (Beckley WV)
681-945-6556 (Charleston WV)
THIS SHOULD BE ON FRONT PAGES AND LEADING NEWS BROADCASTS AROUND THE COUNTRY. But sadly, there are no other outlets currently covering this crisis—which I have to be honest, will eventually lead to people dying. I’d like to stay on this story and possibly go back ON-THE-GROUND to cover this important story. As you know, it takes a lot of resources to do ON-THE-GROUND reporting. If you want us to stay on it, I need your help to build our resources.
More to come in the coming days,
Jordan