In Madison, WV, the deceased family members of the Jarrell family can't get any rest. The Jarrell Family Cemetery is surrounded by fracking and the family just filed a lawsuit in Boone County Court to try to protect their cemetery from further desecration. Plaintiffs have each agreed that any proceeds that would come from a potential settlement will go into a fund to repair and maintain the Jarrell Cemetery.
Visiting the cemerery is tricky for family members as work gets closer and closer to the site. Some graves are only a few years old so people still make frequet visits on the now unsafe roadway.
The huge fracking operation threatening the family cemetery is owned by Alpha Natural Resources, who have to give the cemetery a measly 100 foot berth. Danny Cook is quoted as saying “We've spent years begging the companies to not destroy this place that is so important to our family history. Our most recent visit made us realize that we have no other recourse but to sue the company for the damages to the cemetery and access road,”
Before anyone is allowed to access the cemetery, visitors are asked to give their cameras to the guards to hold, which family members believe is to prevent them from documenting any damages. Can you imagine how difficult these requirements must be to eldery visitors? If you have a family cemetery in West Virginia, watch for permits near the cemetery and fight like hell if a gas company wants to set upoperations that would endanger the cemetery. Don't stand by while companies dictate how you will visit your loved ones.
The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) helps families with support and networking services who are in similiar situations .People who have had desecration, boundary violation or access problems with family cemeteries are invited to contact OVEC's office at 304-522-0246.
The huge fracking operation threatening the family cemetery is owned by Alpha Natural Resources, who have to give the cemetery a measly 100 foot berth. Danny Cook is quoted as saying “We've spent years begging the companies to not destroy this place that is so important to our family history. Our most recent visit made us realize that we have no other recourse but to sue the company for the damages to the cemetery and access road,”
Imagine visiting a grave while blasting is going on; that's what happens at the Jarrell Family Cemetery. The "island in the sky' cemetery has loose headstones from all the blasting and family members feel the cemerery's perch is endangered by all the blasting.
Debbie Jarrell said, “West Virginians go through life knowing what mountain or hillside we’ll be buried on. With the lax enforcement our West Virginia DEP shows, and the lack of compassion for our communities and history that Alpha and Independence Coal Company show, we have no other recourse but to sue. Not even after death are we able to rest in peace."
Adding insult to injury, cemetery visitors have to sign in and be accompanied to the grave by a company representative, and wear steel-toed boots. hard hats and safety-stripes vest. Alpha Natural Resources does not supply these items; those without the safety gear can be asked to leave. Visitors can't even take their personal cameras to the cemetery, just in ase they may want to document the deplorable conditions.
Before anyone is allowed to access the cemetery, visitors are asked to give their cameras to the guards to hold, which family members believe is to prevent them from documenting any damages. Can you imagine how difficult these requirements must be to eldery visitors? If you have a family cemetery in West Virginia, watch for permits near the cemetery and fight like hell if a gas company wants to set upoperations that would endanger the cemetery. Don't stand by while companies dictate how you will visit your loved ones.
The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) helps families with support and networking services who are in similiar situations .People who have had desecration, boundary violation or access problems with family cemeteries are invited to contact OVEC's office at 304-522-0246.
