MATOAKA

    This small town, tucked along Tug Fork near the bottom of the state, only about four miles from Virginia, was one of the hardest hit areas. It was inaccessible for several days after the flood. The elementary school was so badly damaged that it will be demolished. Nearly 20 trailers were just washed away by the raging waters in Panther Creek.

    We didn't have time to stop and talk with people. But we did photograph some of the worst damage. We stopped first along County Route 1, by the railroad tracks. We could see where Tug Fork had risen close to the branches of overhanging trees, leaving bits of trash dangling like bizarre ornaments. We could also see that a huge amount of washout came down Panther Creek.

Panther Creek (center) joins Tug Fork at Panther.

    Next we drove up Panther Creek, where we had to stop for about 10 minutes while the National Guard repaired the road. We followed Panther Creek as it turned left. But didn't get far before the road became impassable . The school was surrounded by mud and debris, which had also filled the first floor and covered the playground.

    Panther Elementary School

    Though we didn't talk with residents about timbering, we later saw the location of the logging operations in maps at the Division of Forestry office in Beckley. There were three timbering operations along Panther Creek and its tributaries. There were also two large timbering sites in and adjacent to Panther State Forest. (see map below).

The timbered areas are shaded in pink. There are seven.

    For more on how Panther fared in the flood, see Charleston Daily Mail.