Appalachia is a huge region of the U.S. We primarily focus on the Central Appalachian areas of east Tennessee, east Kentucky, West Virginia, and southwest Virginia.
Kentucky communities aim to rebuild sustainably after floods intensify housing crisis
Local organizations join hands to help people who lost homes during flooding in four hardest hit counties in southeast Kentucky.
‘Your place is still with us’: Q&A with Appalachian nonprofit leader about flooding impacts
Nearly 14,000 homes in eastern Kentucky reported some damage from flooding this summer. Led by Gerry Roll, the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky is stepping up…
Virginia landfill ordered to close, but air pollution is still making people sick
Bristol, Va. must plan for the site’s permanent closure and follow an expert panel’s suggested improvements. Community members have demanded some of them for months.
How the infrastructure package could impact Appalachians living with failing water systems
It’s been called a ‘once in a generation’ investment in water infrastructure. But the need still far exceeds it.
Air pollution from a Virginia landfill is making residents sick. Officials won’t call it an emergency.
A chemical reaction taking place below the landfill’s surface is emitting harmful gases.
West Virginia promises to be an outdoor recreation destination. But how accessible are its parks and public lands?
Some of the state’s signature destinations and activities are out of reach for many residents with disabilities, and the onus is often on them to…
Steel-making coal upturn brings new mine, old problems to WV community
Some Raleigh County residents don’t want to kill coal — they just want regulators to force the mine next door to stop making them miserable.
As floods worsen in Appalachia, disaster prep gets more complex — and necessary
As climate change leads to more intense flooding, communities will need to make crucial — and creative — investments to protect themselves.
‘Communities shouldn’t have to rely on miracles’: A conversation with Samantha Montano
We sat down with the disaster researcher to discuss her forthcoming book, Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis.
A decade after signing over gas rights, W.Va. Hare Krishna community reflects on its relationship to land
The religious community needed the money from signing gas leases, but it’s a decision that still divides people today.
Biden vows to support struggling Appalachian counties. But residents are weary of failed promises.
Coal communities in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia are struggling to support basic civic services as coal disappears. Federal funding to boost local economies and…
The multibillion dollar question: What will it take to fix the South’s broken water systems?
The winter storm revealed the fragility of rural and urban water systems. Biden’s new infrastructure plan could help improve them — but it’s only a…