Tuesday is the 40th anniversary of President Jimmy Carter declaring Love Canal a federal health emergency. It was the first time a man-made disaster was given that declaration. The environmental disaster was memorialized in the song "Love Canal" by the band Flipper. WBFO's Nick Lippa produced an audio postcard with remembrances from canal evacuees Luella Kenny and former Channel 2 reporter Dick Lucinski.
Kenny lost her son during at the age of seven and contributes the toxic chemicals in her yard to his death. When her family evacuated the house, they spent over a year at hotels.
Lucinski had an interesting interview with a Soviet Union "journalist" who happened to be covering Love Canal. The international appeal of the story had many different organizations asking questions.
Some Love Canal area neighbors--and even others 6 miles away near a landfill in Wheatfield - say that the Canal hazardous wastes are still a health issue. PBS Newshour has their story:
