Heavy rain has once again brought flash floods to eastern Kentucky, a region still reeling from last summer’s deadly inundations — which social justice advocates say were exacerbated by the environmental destruction wrought by decades of strip mining.

At least one person died in the latest torrents, which followed a storm that dropped more than 3 inches of rain on some communities beginning Thursday. Rising water stranded motorists, prompted road closures, and led to several rescues. It was an eerie reminder of last summer’s deluges, which caused historically high waters, led to the deaths of dozens of residents, and damaged thousands of homes.

Social justice and environmental groups in Kentucky say those impacts were aggravated by the state’s long history of strip mining and lax oversight of an industry with no regard for the damage they’ve wrought or accountability to the communities dealing with the long-term consequences.

Last week, the social justice organization Kentuckians for the Commonwealth sent a letter to the U.S. Interior Department requesting a review of the effectiveness of regulations governing strip mining that go back nearly 50 years. The group says it has gathered evidence showing a correlation between 36 of the 43 verified drowning deaths and their location downstream from large-scale strip mines at the head of local valleys.

The organization wants the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation, a branch of the Interior Department, to launch an investigation into how the state’s actions — and inactions — to enforce surface mine regulations contributed to the high death toll. The letter also notest that, according to the American Red Cross, the flooding damaged or destroyed more than 1,600 homes.

Steve Peake lives in the eastern Kentucky town of Fleming-Neon, which sits downstream of several abandoned strip-mining sites. His home was heavily damaged last summer as torrential rains battered the region, causing the creek adjacent to his home to overrun its banks and flood his property beneath nearly two feet of water.

Read the full article about Kentucky floodwaters by Brett Marsh at Grist.