There will be a candlelight vigil held Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain. Participants will stand in prayer for the 300,000 Appalachian citizens in West Virginia that have been without safe drinking water.
A “Do Not Use” ban followed the discovery of a coal-chemical leak at Freedom Industries on Jan. 10, 2014. The ban has since been lifted, but there is still a chemical odor in the water and pregnant women have been advised to avoid using it. The long-term health impacts associated with the contaminated water are unknown, so people within the nine counties affected by the leak cannot be sure of the risk involved in using their water supply.
“Water is life, without it, we cannot survive. Water is our most important natural resource. We will stand together to honor our water and be in solidarity with our neighbors in West Virginia throughout this horrifying national crisis,” said local Eco-Chaplain Sarah Vekasi, who organized the vigil in Black Mountain.
The WV Clean Water Hub will collect water donations and money for supplies later this week. For more information about how to help, visit: https://www.facebook.com/WVCleanWaterHub
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