Mary Ridgeway is a lifelong resident of Tompkinsville, a location situated between Newburg and Rock Point. She is the daughter of Emma M. Jackson and Sankston Walter Jackson, and she grew up in a family of six children, with three brothers and two sisters. Her father was a farmer and a skilled carpenter who also worked the river, while her mother was a homemaker. Ridgeway graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and soon after began working at an oyster house at Rock Point, which was established by Mr. Coulby.

"Well, it's a true story.  And it kind of makes me kind of feel sad about it.  But the truth sometimes make you feel sad." 

subject: Flood control--Virginia; Flood damage prevention—Virginia; Buchanan County (Va.)--History; Grundy (Va.)--Social life and customs; Levisa Fork Basin (Ky. and Va.); Big Sandy River Valley (Ky. and Va.); United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.

Lodge Compton is a long-standing figure in the world of journalism in Grundy, Virginia. He has been the editor and publisher of the Virginia Mountaineer, a weekly newspaper, for over twenty-five years. Compton was born and raised in Buchanan County, specifically in the headwaters of Dismal River, where his father, a writer, photographer, and occasional politician, also resided. Despite his father's brief stint as the editor of the Virginia Mountaineer, Compton insists there was no direct connection between his father's role and his own eventual position at the newspaper.

subject: Flood control--Virginia; Flood damage prevention—Virginia; Buchanan County (Va.)--History; Grundy (Va.)--Social life and customs; Levisa Fork Basin (Ky. and Va.); Big Sandy River Valley (Ky. and Va.); United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.

subject: Flood control--Virginia; Flood damage prevention—Virginia; Buchanan County (Va.)--History; Grundy (Va.)--Social life and customs; Levisa Fork Basin (Ky. and Va.); Big Sandy River Valley (Ky. and Va.); United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.

Sue Branham, born on July 18, 1937, is the owner of The Corner, a ladies' and children's ready-to-wear business in downtown Grundy, Virginia. She purchased the existing business in March 1977 and continued to teach at Grundy Junior High School until 1991. Branham was directly impacted by the 1977 flood that occurred a month after she acquired the business. She resides on Route 83, outside the floodplain, and has been involved in the community's efforts to address the recurring flood issues. 

Tim Potter is the personnel director of the town of Grundy in Grundy, Virginia. He is involved in addressing the town's opportunities and challenges, particularly focusing on the flood project with the Corps of Engineers. 

Chuck Crabtree was born in 1952, in Buchanan County, where he was also raised. His family, originally from West Virginia, moved to Grundy in the late 1920s, following the coal mining industry. His grandfather was one of the first contractors for Harman Mining Corporation in Harman, Virginia, where he mined coal using ponies to pull the coal out of the mountains. Crabtree's family lived in a small camp, in houses owned by the Harman Mining Corporation, known as company houses.

David Hafley is a long-time resident of Grundy, Virginia, who has experienced firsthand the devastating effects of flooding in the region. His experiences provide a vivid account of the destruction caused by floods in the years 1957 and 1977. Hafley's resilience and determination are evident in his recounting of the cleanup efforts following these disasters, where he and other community members worked tirelessly to restore their homes and businesses.