COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE CENTRALIA, PENNSYLVANIA COAL MINE FIRE DISASTER

An underground mine fire has been burning below the coal mining community of Centralia, Pennsylvania since 1962. The fire threatens life and property. This study examined what the victims of this creeping disaster expect from their government in relation to the actual government response. Data was gathered through participant observation between September 1981 and January 1982 and through 77 randomly sampled interviews. This disaster divided the community into those who did and did not want more government action. The duration of the disaster, meaning of personal property, conflicts of information, and lack of a responsible party prohibit community cohesion. The majority of Centralians wanted the fire extinguished and would relocate if necessary. Supportors of more government intervention were better educated, had higher incomes, and were younger than those opposed to action. Conflicts within the community prohibited unified public protest needed to ensure appropriate government response. Federal, state, and local governments responded by shifting responsibility which resulted in maximizing costs borne by the individual. The governments minimal intervention collided with the expectations of the people. Centralia typifies the problems technological advances have created. The need to expand the definition of public welfare to include compensating victims of creeping disasters was discussed.