Ohio train derailment - live: Trump to visit site as criminal referral against Norfolk Southern announced
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said yesterday that his office has made a criminal referral against Norfolk Southern in response to the recent Ohio train derailment.
He said: “We will remain vigilant for any threats to Pennsylvanians. In the face of Norfolk Southern’s arrogance and incompetence, I want you to know that we are fighting back.”
Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump is visiting the train derailment site in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border this week.
Emergency workers are also clearing a coal train that derailed in Nebraska less than a month after the Ohio train derailment.
Ohio officials have shared a video of them drinking tap water in East Palestine in an effort to reassure concerned residents that it is safe.
Lt Governor Jon Husted posted a video on Twitter over the weekend of him, East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick, Police Chief James Brown, and Mayor Trent Conaway drinking glasses of water together.
“The water is safe and they are working around the clock to keep it that way,” Mr Husted tweeted.
Key points
Ohio officials share video of them drinking water in East Palestine
Toxic spill health concerns prompt state to open East Palestine clinic
EPA administrator returning to East Palestine on Tuesday
Lawsuit alleges Norfolk's clean up efforts 'made it worse'
Angry Ohio residents seek answers on train's toxic spill
Ohio train derailment fallout map
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train derailment - or face ‘significant’ fines
04:59 , Graig Graziosi
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put rail operator, Norfolk Southern, on the hook for the cleanup of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
If it doesn’t complete the task, the company will be “significantly” fined, CNN reported.
The Independent has contacted the EPA for comment.
Read more:
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines
EPA says no evidence of volatile organic compounds in East Palestine water
04:00 , Graig Graziosi
The head of the Ohio EPA said Tuesday that testing from multiple labs has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds resulting from the train derailment in Ohio in East Palestine’s water.
The EPA also said it has done air quality testing inside of more than 500 homes in East Palestine, and has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds at concerning levels resulting from the vented and burned vinyl chloride the train was carrying.
Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations
03:00 , Graig Graziosi
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called on the rail industry to immediately improve safety standards or face stiff penalties after a train derailment in Ohio forced mass evacuations and a toxic chemical spill and burn off.
Mr Buttigieg unveiled a package of reforms on Tuesday that would increase fines for “egregious violations”, force rail companies to provide sick pay and inform local officials when they are transporting hazardous materials through their state.
The current maximum fine a rail company could face was $225,455, which he described as a “rounding error” for a company like Norfolk Southern who had an annual operating income of $4.8bn in 2022.
He further called on railroad companies to set up confidential hotlines where staff could report safety concerns, after previous instances of Norfolk Southern allegedly trying to silence whistleblowers.
Read more:
Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations
ICYMI: Ohio Governor demands stricter laws for trains carrying hazardous chemicals
02:00 , Graig Graziosi
Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that laws dictating when rail companies must announce they are carrying hazardous chemicals must be more restictive.
The Norfolk Southern train that derailed was not required under the current laws to announce the nature of its cargo.
Mr DeWine also assured East Palestine’s residents that the state would remain active in the village until the clean-up is completed.
EPA to take over East Palestine clean-up efforts
01:00 , Graig Graziosi
The Environmental Protection Agency is taking over the clean-up efforts in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, forcing the release and burning of vinyl chloride over the village.
Norfolk Southern has been leading to clean up response up until this point voluntarily. Now it will be subject to the EPA’s oversight and could face fines or other punishments if it fails to address the village.
Read more:
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines
Mysterious orange flyers claiming to be from Norfolk Southern appear around East Palestine
00:00 , Graig Graziosi
Orange flyers have been appearing at the homes of East Palestine residents, warning them that there are “hazardous chemicals” inside. The flyers claim to be from Norfolk Southern.
According to local broadcaster WKBN, Norfolk Southern says it has not connection to the flyers and said the papers can be discarded.
“These are unnecessary attempts to scare residents of the town and cause confusion in the community,” the company told WKBN.
Norfolk warns of fake orange flyers in East Palestine https://t.co/GzhOWj32uk
— WKBN 27 First News (@WKBN) February 21, 2023
Tuesday 21 February 2023 23:00 , Graig Graziosi
US Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called out Republicans Tuesday on Twitter, accusing them of using the East Palestine train disaster as a political cudgel even though their policies contribute to a less safe rail system.
“The same Republicans who are up in arms about East Palestine are the same ones who supported Trump’s campaign to gut Obama’s railroad safety regulations,” he said. “It’s all fake indignation.”
Good morning.
The same Republicans who are up in arms about East Palestine are the same ones who supported Trump’s campaign to gut Obama’s railroad safety regulations.
It’s all fake indignation.— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 21, 2023
During former President Barack Obama’s administration rail companies were forced to include ECP brakes on their cars carrying hazardous materials. Norfolk Southern lobbied against those regulations and had them rolled back with the support of the Trump administration in 2017.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit East Palestine
Tuesday 21 February 2023 22:20 , Graig Graziosi
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieig appeared on Good Morning America and said he planned to visit East Palestine to survey the clean-up operation.
Host George Stephanopoulos asked Mr Buttigieg if he was planning on personally visiting the site during a recent appearance on the show, noting that some critics have asked “where’s Pete?”
“I am planning to go and our folks were on the ground from the first hours,” he said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board also needed time to conduct an independent investigation of the crash without lawmakers overseeing the process.
“Ever since I came into this job I have seen the power that multibillion dollar railroad companies wield and they fight safety regulations tooth and nail. That's got to change. The future cannot be like the past...” — @SecretaryPete on Ohio train derailment. pic.twitter.com/pDW9oVCJKx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 21, 2023
Ohio officials drink East Palestine water after train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 21:15 , Graig Graziosi
Local and state officials drank from an East Palestine sink to help assuage fears that the village’s water was contaminated following a Norfolk Southern train derailment in early February.
Pete Buttigieg calls out Marco Rubio for softening rail safety requirements prior to Ohio train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:49 , Graig Graziosi
US Transportation Secretary replied to criticism levied at him by Senator Marco Rubio by pointing out the lawmaker had voted to soften safety regulations prior to the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine.
“The facts don’t lie. The 2021 letter you signed was obviously drafted by railroad industry lobbyists. It supports waivers that would reduce visual track inspections,” he wrote. “Now: will you vote to help us toughen rail safety accountability and fines, or not?”
The facts don't lie. The 2021 letter you signed was obviously drafted by railroad industry lobbyists.
It supports waivers that would reduce visual track inspections.
Now: will you vote to help us toughen rail safety accountability and fines, or not? https://t.co/o5MGvbEZbA— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 21, 2023
Pennsylvania governor calls out 'corporate greed and incompetence' of Norfolk Southern over train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:40 , Graig Graziosi
Ohio officials post video drinking East Palestine water in effort to reassure residents
Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:20 , Graig Graziosi
State and local officials in East Palestine, Ohio, filmed a video of themselves drinking the village’s water in an effort to assure residents it was safe following a catastrophic train derailment earlier this month.
Residents have expressed concerns that their water was polluted after Norfolk Southern vented and burned vinyl chloride gas that was being hauled by the train.
The water-drinking video was posted as part of a visit to the village by Ohio‘s Lieutenant Governor John Husted. He posted the clip to his Twitter feed.
Mr Husted, along with Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel, Fire Chief Keith Drabick, police chief James Brown, Mayor Trent Conaway, and local Congressman Bill Johnson, filled their cups from a faucet and drank the water.
“The water is safe and they are working around the clock to keep it that way,” Mr Husted wrote alongside the video.
Read more:
Ohio officials post video drinking East Palestine water to reassure residents
Nebraska coal train derailment sparks emergency operation
Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:16 , Graig Graziosi
A Union Pacific freight train derailed in Nebraska early on Tuesday, sparking an emergency response.
Around 30 cars carrying coal jumped tracks three miles southeast of the town of Gothenburg at about 1.45am, officials said.
Emergency hazmat teams rushed to the site of the crash. There were no reported injuries.
Images posted to KNOP showed dozens of rail cars strewn along the tracks, alongside mounds of black coal.
It was the fourth derailment involving a Union Pacific train in the area since May last year, KNOP reported.Read more:
Nebraska train derailment sparks third Midwest rail emergency
East Palestine mayor says he does not want village to become a political pawn, wants to get back to ‘small town America'
Tuesday 21 February 2023 20:00 , Graig Graziosi
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said he does not want the village to become a political pawn between right-wing and left-wing lawmakers and media outlets.
He said that while he appreciated the media coverage, he hoped to stop having to hold press conferences and get back to hosting picnics in the village.
When asked what he thought justice for East Palestine looked like, he said it would be a “return to small town America,” and “rolling back the clock to 2 February,” the day before the disastrous train derailment.
East Palestine mayor says he made Biden comments during a moment of frustration, would welcome him to village
Tuesday 21 February 2023 19:40 , Graig Graziosi
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told reporters Tueday that the comments he made claiming Joe Biden did not care about residents of the village due to his trip to Ukraine were made during a moment of frustration.
He said he stood by those comments, but that he would welcome the president to East Palestine if he decided to visit.
Former Presidetn Donald Trump — whose administration rolled back regulations requiring train cars carrying hazrdous materials to equip special brakes — will be visiting the village on Wednesday.
Dirt under East Palestine train tracks where train derailed to be removed
Tuesday 21 February 2023 19:20 , Graig Graziosi
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that the dirt under the train tracks where a Norfolk Southern trian derailed in East Palestine will be removed.
He noted that the company had trains running on the tracks again just days after the accident and said the dirt hasn’t been removed from the scene of the accident. The removal will require a temporary shut-down of the route as the tracks will have to be pulled up.
Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor one month before East Palestine disaster
Tuesday 21 February 2023 19:10 , Graig Graziosi
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine received a donation from Norfolk Southern just weeks before one of the company’s trains derailed in East Palestine, resulting in the release and burn of a hazardous gas over the village.
The company gave Mr DeWine a donation totalling $10,000, the maximum amount allowed by law, according to an investigation by WSYX, a Columbus-based broadcaster who first reported the donations.
In total, Mr DeWine has received $29,000 from Norfolk Southern since he first ran for governor in 2018. The broadcaster also found that the rail company has given a combined $98,000 over the last six years to state and legislative candidates around Ohio.
Read more:
Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor month before East Palestine disaster
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train derailment - or face ‘significant’ fines
Tuesday 21 February 2023 18:45 , Graig Graziosi
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put rail operator, Norfolk Southern, on the hook for the cleanup of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
If it doesn’t complete the task, the company will be “significantly” fined, CNN reported.
The Independent has contacted the EPA for comment.
Read more:
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines
EPA says no evidence of volatile organic compounds in East Palestine water
Tuesday 21 February 2023 18:21 , Graig Graziosi
The head of the Ohio EPA said Tuesday that testing from multiple labs has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds resulting from the train derailment in Ohio in East Palestine’s water.
The EPA also said it has done air quality testing inside of more than 500 homes in East Palestine, and has found no evidence of volatile organic compounds at concerning levels resulting from the vented and burned vinyl chloride the train was carrying.
Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations
Tuesday 21 February 2023 18:10 , Graig Graziosi
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called on the rail industry to immediately improve safety standards or face stiff penalties after a train derailment in Ohio forced mass evacuations and a toxic chemical spill and burn off.
Mr Buttigieg unveiled a package of reforms on Tuesday that would increase fines for “egregious violations”, force rail companies to provide sick pay and inform local officials when they are transporting hazardous materials through their state.
The current maximum fine a rail company could face was $225,455, which he described as a “rounding error” for a company like Norfolk Southern who had an annual operating income of $4.8bn in 2022.
He further called on railroad companies to set up confidential hotlines where staff could report safety concerns, after previous instances of Norfolk Southern allegedly trying to silence whistleblowers.
Read more:
Buttigieg warns rail companies to expect increased fines and regulations
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says Ohio, Pennsylvania, and EPA will hold Norfolk Southern accountable
Tuesday 21 February 2023 17:56 , Graig Graziosi
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says Ohio, Pennsylvania, and EPA will hold Norfolk Southern accountable after the East Palestine train derailment.
“We will hold accountable Norfolk Southern the company that made this vigilance necessary ... “[for their] corporate greed, incompentence, and lack of care of residents,” he said.
He said that the EPA’s order to force the rail company to clean-up the mess will also extend to communities in Pennsylvania just over the border from East Palestine.
“We are fighting back,” he said.
Ohio Governor demands stricter laws for trains carrying hazardous chemicals
Tuesday 21 February 2023 17:50 , Graig Graziosi
Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that laws dictating when rail companies must announce they are carrying hazardous chemicals must be more restictive.
The Norfolk Southern train that derailed was not required under the current laws to announce the nature of its cargo.
Mr DeWine also assured East Palestine’s residents that the state would remain active in the village until the clean-up is completed.
EPA to take over East Palestine clean-up efforts
Tuesday 21 February 2023 17:22 , Graig Graziosi
The Environmental Protection Agency is taking over the clean-up efforts in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, forcing the release and burning of vinyl chloride over the village.
Norfolk Southern has been leading to clean up response up until this point voluntarily. Now it will be subject to the EPA’s oversight and could face fines or other punishments if it fails to address the village.
Read more:
EPA orders Norfolk Southern to deal with Ohio toxic train wreck - or face fines
Mysterious orange flyers claiming to be from Norfolk Southern appear around East Palestine
Tuesday 21 February 2023 16:28 , Graig Graziosi
Orange flyers have been appearing at the homes of East Palestine residents, warning them that there are “hazardous chemicals” inside. The flyers claim to be from Norfolk Southern.
According to local broadcaster WKBN, Norfolk Southern says it has not connection to the flyers and said the papers can be discarded.
“These are unnecessary attempts to scare residents of the town and cause confusion in the community,” the company told WKBN.
Norfolk warns of fake orange flyers in East Palestine https://t.co/GzhOWj32uk
— WKBN 27 First News (@WKBN) February 21, 2023
EPA head, Governor Mike DeWine arrive in East Palestine
Tuesday 21 February 2023 16:07 , Graig Graziosi
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and EPA Administrator Michael Regan arrived in East Palestine today.
Mr DeWine and Mr Regan will survey the clean-up operation at the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in early February.
#BREAKING Governor Mike Dewine (R-OH) and EPA Administrator Michael Regan are here. @WTOV9 pic.twitter.com/3gUllkJ7C6
— Chloë Mesogitis (@ChloeWTOV9) February 21, 2023
Senator calls GOP handwringing over train disaster ‘fake'
Tuesday 21 February 2023 15:31 , Graig Graziosi
US Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut called out Republicans Tuesday on Twitter, accusing them of using the East Palestine train disaster as a political cudgel even though their policies contribute to a less safe rail system.
“The same Republicans who are up in arms about East Palestine are the same ones who supported Trump’s campaign to gut Obama’s railroad safety regulations,” he said. “It’s all fake indignation.”
Good morning.
The same Republicans who are up in arms about East Palestine are the same ones who supported Trump’s campaign to gut Obama’s railroad safety regulations.
It’s all fake indignation.— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 21, 2023
During former President Barack Obama’s administration rail companies were forced to include ECP brakes on their cars carrying hazardous materials. Norfolk Southern lobbied against those regulations and had them rolled back with the support of the Trump administration in 2017.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announces push to hold rail industry accountable after East Palestine disaster
Tuesday 21 February 2023 15:06 , Graig Graziosi
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday that the federal goverment is moving to hold the rail industry accountable.
The proposed actions include increasing the total possible fine that can be levied against rail companies for disasters, making at-least two person crews mandatory, and forcing carriers to announce if their trains are carrying hazardous chemicals through a town.
Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people. The freight railroad industry should make these changes now while we continue to act as an administration – and I look forward to working with Congress to deliver better accountability and safety.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 21, 2023
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit East Palestine
Tuesday 21 February 2023 14:45 , Graig Graziosi
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieig appeared on Good Morning America and said he planned to visit East Palestine to survey the clean-up operation.
Host George Stephanopoulos asked Mr Buttigieg if he was planning on personally visiting the site during a recent appearance on the show, noting that some critics have asked “where’s Pete?”
“I am planning to go and our folks were on the ground from the first hours,” he said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board also needed time to conduct an independent investigation of the crash without lawmakers overseeing the process.
“Ever since I came into this job I have seen the power that multibillion dollar railroad companies wield and they fight safety regulations tooth and nail. That's got to change. The future cannot be like the past...” — @SecretaryPete on Ohio train derailment. pic.twitter.com/pDW9oVCJKx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 21, 2023
Trump to visit East Palestine on Wednesday, after two weeks of silence on disastrous train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump says he will visit East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr first announced the visit on Friday, tweeting: “If our ‘leaders’ are too afraid to actually lead, real leaders will step up and fill the void.”
The scope of the visit was not specified but on Saturday, Mr Trump confirmed on his platform Truth Social that he will travel on Wednesday to the community with a population of 4,700.
Mr Trump did not miss a chance to slam the Biden administration, claiming that his announcement prompted the White House to deploy FEMA’s assistance to East Palestine. The agency issued a joint statement with Governor Mike DeWine on Friday saying a regional incident management assistance team will arrive in the village.
“Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social. “Hopefully he will also be there. This is good news because we got them to “move.” The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!”
EPA administrator returning to East Palestine on Tuesday
Tuesday 21 February 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan will return to East Palestine, Ohio for the second time to meet with local, state, and federal leaders and provide an update on the ongoing Federal response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
Mr Regan will also announce additional measures to ensure the health and safety of this community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.
The EPA is leading the Biden administration’s multi-pronged response to the incident and has been on the scene since day one. It also secured a commitment from Norfolk Southern to pay for cleanup costs.
A press conference is scheduled for 12.30pm on Tuesday, with Mr Regan joined by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Congressman Bill Johnson, and EPA regional administrator Debra Shore.
Voices: I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 13:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Graig Graziosi writes:
Like the rest of the country, I was shocked and morbidly fascinated by the towering pillar of black that rose above East Palestine in early February after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and officials chose to burn off the hazardous and highly flammable vinyl chloride gas it was carrying.
Unlike the rest of the country, I was already very familiar with the tiny Ohio village — I spent many hours there in my early and late teens visiting with my father and stepmother.
Read on:
What I found when I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment
Questions mount on rail industry as another train derails – in California
Tuesday 21 February 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp
Questions continue to mount on the rail industry as another train derailed this week – this time in California.
Rail operator Union Pacific confirmed on Monday that four of its train cars had derailed in Riverbank, Stanislaus County, in the early hours of the morning.
Three of the cars derailed while the fourth was leaning over, the company said.
No hazardous chemicals were released in this incident and no one was injured but an investigation has been launched into what happened.
It comes just weeks after the 3 February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which prompted operator Norfolk Southern to release and burn a toxic chemical to avoid an explosion.
Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor one month before East Palestine disaster
Tuesday 21 February 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp
Norfolk Southern gave a donation to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine just one month before the East Palestine train derailment disaster, according to a bombshell investigation.
State records, examined by 6 On Your Side, reveal that the rail operator gave a $10,000 contribution to the governor in January.
In total, the company has contributed $29,000 to Mr DeWine’s political funds since he first ran for governor in 2018.
As well as the governor, Norfolk Southern has given $98,000 in donations to several other Ohio statewide and legislative candidates in recent years, according to the outlet.
This comes as pressure is mounting on Norfolk Southern over the incident in East Palestine.
Video claiming to show contaminated water in Ohio goes viral
Tuesday 21 February 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell
A video claiming to show the extent of the water contamination in Ohio after the East Palestine train derailment has gone viral with more than 11 million views on social media.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Video claiming to show contaminated water in Ohio goes viral
Ohio Department of Health to open clinic
Tuesday 21 February 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp
On Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Health will open a clinic in East Palestine as it seeks to address the growing health fears in the aftermath of the train derailment.
The clinic will have nurses, mental health specialists and a toxicologist on hand, and any residents concerned over potential medical issues are urged to attend the facility to speak to experts.
“I heard you, the state heard you, and now the Ohio Department of Health and many of our partner agencies are providing this clinic, where people can come and discuss these vital issues with medical providers,” Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff said in a statement.
Since the disaster, residents in East Palestine have reported symptoms including headaches, rashes, nausea and burning eyes.
Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern
Tuesday 21 February 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Sunday to the CEO of Norfolk Southern, warning that the freight rail company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after a fiery train derailment led to the release of chemicals and residents expressing concerns about their health.
Read on:
Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern to support Ohio community
Ohio officials share video of them drinking water in East Palestine
Tuesday 21 February 2023 10:05 , Rachel Sharp
Ohio officials have shared a video of them drinking tap water in East Palestine in an effort to reassure concerned residents that it is safe.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted posted a video on Twitter over the weekend of him, East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick, Police Chief James Brown, and Mayor Trent Conaway drinking glasses of water together.
“The water is safe and they are working around the clock to keep it that way,” Mr Husted tweeted.
#EastPalestine Fire Chief Chief Keith Drabick, Police Chief James Brown, and Mayor Trent Conaway have a message for their fellow community members— The water is safe and they are working around the clock to keep it that way. pic.twitter.com/U0btfmFKVa
— Lt. Governor Jon Husted (@LtGovHusted) February 17, 2023
Separating fact from fiction in the Ohio train derailment incident
Tuesday 21 February 2023 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell
When a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on 3 February, the truth began to look stranger than fiction.
A foreboding black cloud rose up from the accident site as officials performed a controlled burn. Thousands of fish in nearby waterways died. People couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the disaster and the Don DeLillo novel White Noise, about an Ohio family living through the aftermath of train derailment, which caused an “airborne toxic event.” Netflix recently adapted the book into a movie, and filmed scenes throughout the state.
To make matters worse, social media users and unscrupulous media figures broadcast conspiracies and exaggerated claims about the real Ohio derailment, leading to misinformation and speculation.
“This is kind of the ultimate event for driving conspiracy theories and various anti-government and anti-media sentiment,” Meghan Conroy, a US research fellow with the Atlantic Council, told WIRED. “There’s a lack of clarity about what’s happening on the ground in Ohio.”
Here’s what you need to know to separate fact from fiction about the East Palestine disaster.
Ohio train derailment fact check: Separating fact from fiction
DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell
That disaster has caused residents and local wildlife to suffer a variety of symptoms, and has caused chaos of its own in Washington, as officials have sought to pin the tragedy on one party or policy.
Josh Marcus reports.
The DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment. Whose fault is it?
ICYMI: Dirt under East Palestine train tracks where train derailed to be removed
Tuesday 21 February 2023 23:05 , Graig Graziosi
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that the dirt under the train tracks where a Norfolk Southern trian derailed in East Palestine will be removed.
He noted that the company had trains running on the tracks again just days after the accident and said the dirt hasn’t been removed from the scene of the accident. The removal will require a temporary shut-down of the route as the tracks will have to be pulled up.
Watch: Detroit derailment aftermath
Tuesday 21 February 2023 05:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Derailed train scattered over tracks in Detroit captured on drone footage
Similar risks, different outcomes
Tuesday 21 February 2023 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Police Chief Jason Wright feared the worst as he rushed to the scene of a freight train derailment in Michigan’s Van Buren Township, mindful of a fiery rail crash this month in Ohio that led to evacuations and a toxic chemical release.
Instead, the situation a half-hour’s drive west of Detroit was far less grim: 28 of 134 cars in a Norfolk Southern train had gone at least partially off the track Thursday with a couple overturned and several others upright but knocked sideways. No one was injured and nothing appeared to have spilled. The lone car carrying hazardous materials wasn’t affected.
“We couldn’t believe how lucky we were, considering the awful situation over there in Ohio,” Wright said Friday.
Read on:
2 train derailments have similar risks, different outcomes
East Palestine livestock owners race to protect their animals after train derailment
Tuesday 21 February 2023 01:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Graig Graziosi reports on the frantic race to save animals from the toxic chemicals.
East Palestine livestock owners race to protect their animals after train derailment
What chemicals were spilled and how toxic are they?
Tuesday 21 February 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Some 38 cars derailed from a Norfolk Southern freight train on 3 February. Around 10 of those cars were carrying hazardous materials when it careened off the tracks after suffering a broken axle, investigators said.
But what were the chemicals?
What chemicals were spilled in the Ohio train derailment and how toxic are they?
Map: Where in Ohio did the derailment occur?
Monday 20 February 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell
East Palestine is situated in Columbiana County, right on the edge of Ohio’s border with Pennsylvania.
The railroad tracks where the derailment occurred run along the southern border of the village.
Where did the train crash in Ohio?
Did a Netflix movie ‘predict’ the train derailment?
Monday 20 February 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Netflix viewers have drawn uncanny parallels between a recent film and the chemical spill that took place in Ohio earlier this month.
Louis Chilton reports.
Netflix movie White Noise ‘predicted’ train derailment in Ohio
EPA administrator returning to East Palestine on Tuesday
Monday 20 February 2023 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan will return to East Palestine, Ohio for the second time to meet with local, state, and federal leaders and provide an update on the ongoing Federal response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
Mr Regan will also announce additional measures to ensure the health and safety of this community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.
The EPA is leading the Biden administration’s multi-pronged response to the incident and has been on the scene since day one. It also secured a commitment from Norfolk Southern to pay for cleanup costs.
A press conference is scheduled for 12.30pm on Tuesday, with Mr Regan joined by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Congressman Bill Johnson, and EPA regional administrator Debra Shore.
Vance: ‘Congress can legislate a solution to this problem'
Monday 20 February 2023 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell
Senator @JDVance1 on @10TV: "I don't want to let Congress off the hook here, because Congress can legislate a solution to this problem, and that's exactly what I'm going to try to do." pic.twitter.com/XOXEFa0izV
— Senator Vance Press Office (@SenVancePress) February 19, 2023
Environmental activist, PG&E whistleblower Erin Brockovich to visit East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will attend a town hall in East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
Ms Brockovich announced her upcoming visit on Thursday through Twitter. The activist previously criticized the EPA and state lawmakers for telling people it was safe to return to their homes and at the same time, sending a legal notice to the rail operator over the threat of environmental contamination.
“This is why people don’t trust government,” she tweeted last week. “You cannot tell people that there has been and continues to be hazardous pollutants contaminating the environment while at the same time saying ‘all is well.’”
Ms Brockovich will hold a townhall in the village on Friday. It was previously scheduled for earlier in the week but was rescheduled as Donald Trump is visiting the area on Wednesday.
We are moving our event to Friday.
The circus is coming to town and we want to steer clear.— Erin Brockovich (@ErinBrockovich) February 19, 2023
Ms Brockovich became a whistleblower in the 1993 Pacific Gas & Electric Company case after speaking out about unexplained illnesses that residents of Hinckley, California, were experiencing. A lawsuit in the case led to a $333 million settlement, while Ms Brockovich was portrayed in a 2000 movie by Julia Roberts.
Second train derails in Ohio – weeks after East Palestine disaster
Monday 20 February 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Another train has derailed in Ohio, this time in Delphos, a small city approximately 88 miles southwest of Toledo near the state’s western border.
Law enforcement in Delphos was notified around 12:45am on Sunday that a train running through the centre of the city derailed near a grain elevator, according to Your Hometown Stations.
Graig Graziosi filed this report:
Second train derails in Ohio – weeks after East Palestine disaster
Trump to visit East Palestine on Wednesday, after two weeks of silence on disastrous train derailment
Monday 20 February 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump says he will visit East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr first announced the visit on Friday, tweeting: “If our ‘leaders’ are too afraid to actually lead, real leaders will step up and fill the void.”
The scope of the visit was not specified but on Saturday, Mr Trump confirmed on his platform Truth Social that he will travel on Wednesday to the community with a population of 4,700.
Mr Trump did not miss a chance to slam the Biden administration, claiming that his announcement prompted the White House to deploy FEMA’s assistance to East Palestine. The agency issued a joint statement with Governor Mike DeWine on Friday saying a regional incident management assistance team will arrive in the village.
“Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social. “Hopefully he will also be there. This is good news because we got them to “move.” The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!”
Watch: Senator Sherrod Brown interviewed on CNN
Monday 20 February 2023 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell
State opening health assessment clinic in East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 20:55 , Oliver O'Connell
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), in partnership with the Columbiana County Health Department and with support from the US Department of Health and Human Services, is opening a Health Assessment Clinic at noon on Tuesday for any East Palestine area residents who have medical questions or concerns related to the recent train derailment.
Community members can schedule appointments by calling 234-564-7755 or 234-564-7888.
The clinic will be located at the First Church of Christ, 20 West Martin Street, in East Palestine.
In addition to two assessment rooms inside, a mobile unit operated by the Community Action Agency of Columbiana County, will be parked outside the church in order to accommodate more appointments.
Registered nurses and mental health specialists will be on hand. A toxicologist will either be on site or available by phone.
This is the latest move in an extensive effort that Governor Mike DeWine and a number of state agencies have undertaken to help East Palestine recover from this incident.
“Last week, I was in East Palestine and listened as many area residents expressed their concerns and fears,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff. “I heard you, the state heard you, and now the Ohio Department of Health and many of our partner agencies are providing this clinic, where people can come and discuss these vital issues with medical providers.
“We encourage anyone who has medical concerns or questions to take advantage of this resource.”
East Palestine residents complaint of rashes, headaches, and respiratory symptoms
Monday 20 February 2023 20:37 , Oliver O'Connell
Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have shared their contamination fears after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
“When we went back on the 10th, that’s when we decided that we couldn’t raise our kids here,” Amanda Greathouse told CNN, adding that a smell reminiscent of “hair perming solution” was still lingering. “When we left, I had a rash on my skin on my arm, and my eyes were burning for a few days after that.”
Ms Greathouse told the network that she had felt nauseous when she returned to her house, just a block away from the site of the derailment.
“The chemical smell was so strong that it made me nauseous,” Ms Greathouse, a mother of two young children, added.
“I just wanted to quickly pick up what I needed and leave. I only took a few pieces of clothes because even the clothes smelled like chemicals, and I’m afraid to put them on my kids.”
DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment
Monday 20 February 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell
“The only way I can describe it is like the doors of hell were open.”
That’s how Mahoning County Hazmat chief Steve Szekely described the acrid cloud of black smoke that went up in the aftermath of the 3 February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where large sections of a train with 150 cars, some of them carrying toxic chemicals, went sliding off the tracks.
That disaster has caused residents and local wildlife to suffer a variety of symptoms, and has caused chaos of its own in Washington, as officials have sought to pin the tragedy on one party or policy.
Josh Marcus has the story.
The DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment. Whose fault is it?
Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern
Monday 20 February 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Sunday to the CEO of Norfolk Southern, warning that the freight rail company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after a fiery train derailment led to the release of chemicals and residents expressing concerns about their health.
“Norfolk Southern must live up to its commitment to make residents whole — and must also live up to its obligation to do whatever it takes to stop putting communities such as East Palestine at risk,” Buttigieg wrote.
Read on:
Buttigieg warns Norfolk Southern to support Ohio community
Ohio lawmaker declines to say if he would drink water in East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown refused to say whether he would drink tap water in East Palestine after a freight train derailment caused a catastrophic chemical spill and fire in the town.
Mr Brown was asked by CNN State of the Union host Pamela Brown on Sunday whether residents should accept assurances from EPA officials and state and local lawmakers that the water and air was safe.
The Democrat deflected from saying if he would personally drink the water, saying that worried East Palestine residents were “right to be skeptical”.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Ohio lawmaker declines to say if he would drink water in East Palestine
Separating fact from fiction in the train derailment
Monday 20 February 2023 18:25 , Oliver O'Connell
The Independent’s Josh Marcus looks at what you need to know to separate fact from fiction about the East Palestine disaster.
Ohio train derailment fact check: Separating fact from fiction
Voices: I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment
Monday 20 February 2023 17:25 , Oliver O'Connell
The Independent’s Graig Graziosi writes:
Like the rest of the country, I was shocked and morbidly fascinated by the towering pillar of black that rose above East Palestine in early February after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and officials chose to burn off the hazardous and highly flammable vinyl chloride gas it was carrying.
Unlike the rest of the country, I was already very familiar with the tiny Ohio village — I spent many hours there in my early and late teens visiting with my father and stepmother.
Read on:
What I found when I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment
Bipartisan call for EPA to monitor spread of dioxins
Monday 20 February 2023 17:08 , Oliver O'Connell
Ohio senators Sherrod Brown and JD Vance, respectively Democrat and Republican, sent a joint letter to the state and federal Environment Protection Agencies to monitor the East Palestine area for highly toxic dioxins formed by the combustion of vinyl chloride.
These compounds are highly persistent environmental pollutants that are known to bioaccumulate in animals and humans and can interfere with hormones, cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, or damage the immune system.
The senators are concerned that a wider area may have been impacted and called for immediate action to coordinate regular testing and monitoring of the region.
Bipartisan letter from Ohio’s US Senators @SenSherrodBrown and @JDVance1, asking Ohio, US EPAs to monitor #EastPalestineOhio air for highly toxic dioxins, saying they’re concerned controlled burn of vinyl chloride from train derailment may have dispersed them through a large area pic.twitter.com/Dkh6kgwsUL
— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) February 18, 2023
Buttigieg demands Norfolk Southern provide ‘unequivocal support’ for East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell
Inbox: @PeteButtigieg, in letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, demands the railroad "demonstrate unequivocal support for the people of East Palestine," calls hazardous-material derailments "far too common" pic.twitter.com/g9y76XYW1J
— Zack Budryk (@BudrykZack) February 19, 2023
Erin Brockovich to hold East Palestine town hall
Monday 20 February 2023 16:05 , Oliver O'Connell
Activist Erin Brockovich will visit East Palestine on Friday and hold a town hall for residents, Mayor Trent Conaway announced on Sunday.
In one of his regular Facebook updates, Mr Conaway wrote:
Today I visited the derailment site with a delegation of Ohio house members as well as the speaker of the Ohio house and congressman Johnson. The cleanup is going well and will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. The house members were here to discuss possible funding from the state to help residents and first responders. Well testing is continuing and will continue for as long as needed. Erin Brockovich will be in town Friday and will be holding a town hall meeting Friday evening, time and location to be announced asap. God Bless. EP strong.
Shaw: ‘Deeply sorry’ this happened
Monday 20 February 2023 15:35 , Oliver O'Connell
CEO Alan Shaw : “I returned to East Palestine today to meet with local leaders, first responders, and a group of Norfolk Southern employees who live in the area. In every conversation today, I shared how deeply sorry I am this happened to their home." https://t.co/cjL6P2OXzD pic.twitter.com/VBYybO3mYG
— Norfolk Southern (@nscorp) February 19, 2023
Norfolk Southern CEO says company will ‘will make sure the village is made whole'
Monday 20 February 2023 15:05 , Oliver O'Connell
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway says he will hold Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw to his word after he told a meeting on Saturday that the company is “here to stay” and will “make sure the village is made whole”.
The mayor shared two Facebook updates over the weekend on the cleanup process around the crash site.
On Saturday he wrote:
Very active day around derailment site. Cleanup still continues around derailment site. I addressed some concerns I received from residents about mud on roads in the village. Was told they would be installing wheel wash containment stations to help with that. Also informed them that tarps need to used if haul contaminated soil out to help with dust. Met with first wave of the FEMA assessment team. They will be on site today and for the foreseeable future watching over cleanup in conjunction with state and federal EPA. The health clinic should be up and running Tuesday, I will update on that Monday. Met with Alan Shaw ,CEO. Of NS, with fire chief, congressman Johnson, railroad employees ,a few residents and business owners to discuss cleanup efforts and village needs. He told all of us Norfolk Southern is here to stay and will make sure the village is made whole. We intend to hold him to that. He also met with first responders to thank them for everything they did during the derailment. I also had a 1.25 hr. conversation with Erin Brockovich. She was very helpful with some questions I had and is coming into town next week and is going to try to have a town hall meeting. I think she will be a positive addition for our village. God bless. EP Strong!!!!
Another train derails in Ohio
Monday 20 February 2023 14:35 , Rachel Sharp
On Saturday, yet another train derailed in Ohio – this time in Delphos.
Delphos Police Department said that the the train derailed just before midnight local time on a Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern rail line.
The derailed cars broke a power pole, plunging around 100 homes into darkness in the local area.
However, it did not result in any spills or injuries, police said.
Ohio lawmaker refuses to say if he would drink water in East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 14:04 , Rachel Sharp
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has refused to say whether or not he would drink the water in East Palestine in the aftermath of the train derailment.
The lawmaker skirted around the question in an interview with CNN on Sunday but said that he believes local residents are “right to be skeptical” about assurances coming from officials.
“Well, they’re right to be skeptical,” he said.
“We think the water is safe, but when you return to your home, you should be tested again for your water and your soil and your air, not to mention those that have their own wells.”
When asked if he personally would drink the water, and if other officials should reassure residents of its safety by doing so, he avoided giving a direct answer.
“Well, I think they are,” he said.
“I mean, I talked to the mayor. The mayor said definitively, emphatically, that people can drink the water. The mayor’s — I don’t know. I don’t think the mayor has small kids. He looks a little older to me. I didn’t ask him, but — about bathing his kids.”
Trump to visit East Palestine on Wednesday, after two weeks of silence on disastrous train derailment
Monday 20 February 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco
Donald Trump says he will visit East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr first announced the visit on Friday, tweeting: “If our ‘leaders’ are too afraid to actually lead, real leaders will step up and fill the void.”
The scope of the visit was not specified but on Saturday, Mr Trump confirmed on his platform Truth Social that he will travel on Wednesday to the community with a population of 4,700.
Mr Trump did not miss a chance to slam the Biden administration, claiming that his announcement prompted the White House to deploy FEMA’s assistance to East Palestine. The agency issued a joint statement with Governor Mike DeWine on Friday saying a regional incident management assistance team will arrive in the village.
“Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social. “Hopefully he will also be there. This is good news because we got them to “move.” The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!”
FEMA will send help to East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco
Two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into East Palestine, Ohio, Governor Mike Dewine announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will send assistance to the community.
The White House has previously said that FEMA was closely coordinating with the emergency operation centers responding to the incident, but the agency had yet to announce a visit to East Palestine.
“Tomorrow, FEMA will supplement federal efforts by deploying a Senior Response Official along with a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to support ongoing
Environmental activist, PG&E whistleblower Erin Brockovich to visit East Palestine
Monday 20 February 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will attend a town hall in East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
Ms Brockovich announced her upcoming visit on Thursday through Twitter. The activist previously criticized the EPA and state lawmakers for telling people it was safe to return to their homes and at the same time, sending a legal notice to the rail operator over the threat of environmental contamination.
“This is why people don’t trust government,” she tweeted last week. “You cannot tell people that there has been and continues to be hazardous pollutants contaminating the environment while at the same time saying ‘all is well.’”
Ms Brockovich became a whistleblower in the 1993 Pacific Gas & Electric Company case after speaking out about unexplained illnesses that residents of Hinckley, California, were experiencing. A lawsuit in the case led to a $333 million settlement, while Ms Brockovich was portrayed in a 2000 movie by Julia Roberts.
What’s vinyl chloride?
Monday 20 February 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco
Residents of the small town of East Palestine, Ohio are still dealing with the environmental consequences of a major train derailment this month.
Some 38 cars derailed from a Norfolk Southern freight train on 3 February. Around 10 of those cars were carrying hazardous materials when it careened off the tracks after suffering a broken axle, investigators said.
Some of the rail tankers contained vinyl chloride, which was at risk of a chemical explosion. Crews carried out a controlled burn of the substance to prevent a blast but still sent noxious black clouds billowing across the region.
Vinyl chloride, which is used to make plastic pipes, wires and packaging, is linked to increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer, hepatic angiosarcoma, along with primary liver cancer, brain and lung cancers, lymphoma and leukaemia, according to Cancer.gov.
Hydrogen chloride is released by burning vinyl chloride and also an irritant to the skin, nose, eyes and throat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Center for Environmental Health science director Jimena Díaz Leiva told CBS News that the dangers of vinyl chloride have been largely underestimated.
“This disaster is really a wakeup call,” Ms Leiva told the network. “...There needs to be a lot more regulatory oversight and action to address not just the safety and the actual transport around these chemicals, but also just stemming our production of all these chemicals.”
The Independent’s Josh Marcus has more.
East Palestine residents complaint of rashes, headaches, and respiratory symptoms
Monday 20 February 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco
Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have shared their contamination fears after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
“When we went back on the 10th, that’s when we decided that we couldn’t raise our kids here,” Amanda Greathouse told CNN, adding that a smell reminiscent of “hair perming solution” was still lingering. “When we left, I had a rash on my skin on my arm, and my eyes were burning for a few days after that.”
Ms Greathouse told the network that she had felt nauseous when she returned to her house, just a block away from the site of the derailment.
“The chemical smell was so strong that it made me nauseous,” Ms Greathouse, a mother of two young children, added.
“I just wanted to quickly pick up what I needed and leave. I only took a few pieces of clothes because even the clothes smelled like chemicals, and I’m afraid to put them on my kids.”
VOICES: I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment
Monday 20 February 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco
“Like the rest of the country, I was shocked and morbidly fascinated by the towering pillar of black that rose above East Palestine in early February after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and officials chose to burn off the hazardous and highly flammable vinyl chloride gas it was carrying,” Graig Graziosi writes for The Independent.
Unlike the rest of the country, Graig was already very familiar with the tiny Ohio village — he spent many hours there in his early and late teens.
What he found was a deep - and justifiable - distrust.
I went home to report on the Ohio train derailment, and discovered a deep distrust
More than a dozen Norfolk Southern employees have died on job in the last 22 years
Monday 20 February 2023 08:00 , Andrea Blanco
At least 18 Norfolk Southern employees have died on the job since 1991, according to figures from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Railroad Workers Union.
The latest fatality was in December 2022 when trainee conductor Walter James Griffin III was killed and another conductor was seriously injured after being struck by a piece of metal from a passing train car in Bessemer, Alabama. The death is still under investigation.
In 2005, nine people including one Norfolk Southern engineer died and 250 people were injured from toxic chlorine exposure after two Norfolk Southern freight trains collided near Graniteville, South Carolina.
The fatalities were a result of chlorine searing the victims’ lungs. An NTSB accident report blamed the crash on the failure of one train crew to return a main line switch to the normal position after completing work on the track.
The Ohio train derailment was ‘predicted’ by 2022 Netflix movie
Monday 20 February 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco
Netflix viewers have drawn uncanny parallels between a recent film and the chemical spill that took place in Ohio earlier this month.
White Noise, starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, was released on the Netflix late last year.
Adapted from the acclaimed 1985 novel by American writer Don DeLillo, the film follows a death-obsessed academic (Driver), and his family.
One of the biggest plot points in both the book and film concerns a train crash which release a huge cloud of toxic chemicals into the air, referred to somewhat euphemistically as the Airbourne Toxic Event.
The Independent’s Louis Chilton has the story:
Netflix movie White Noise ‘predicted’ train derailment in Ohio
ICYMI: All we know about affected areas and a cancer-causing chemical
Monday 20 February 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco
A dark pillar of smoke rose above East Palestine, Ohio, in early February, prompting a mandatory evacuation of the village’s residents. A Norfolk Southern train carrying numerous hazardous chemicals had suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, resulting in a derailment. Officials feared the flammable chemicals might ignite in a massive blast of shrapnel and poison, and elected to vent and burn the contents of the traincars to mitigate the potential for further destruction.
More than a week after the Ohio train derailment, information is still trickling out about what exactly happened and what risk the 5,000 residents of East Palestine — and the millions in the surrounding region — may face as a result of the crash.
Here’s everything we know about the train derailment, its causes, and what effect it has — and may have — on the people and the environment.
Train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio: Everything we know
Clinic to open near Ohio derailment next week as health worries linger
Monday 20 February 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco
A plume of chemicals that spilled into the Ohio River after a fiery train derailment has broken up and is no longer a concern, Ohio’s governor said Friday. But worries remain near the disaster site among residents who have complained about lingering headaches and irritated eyes.
Despite repeated assurances that air and water testing has shown no signs of contaminants, some around East Palestine, along the Pennsylvania state line, are still skeptical and afraid to return to their homes.
Early next week, the state plans to open a medical clinic in the village to evaluate those who are worried and analyze their symptoms, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced. The clinic will include a team of experts in chemical exposures that is being deployed to eastern Ohio.
“These are very legitimate questions, and residents deserve an answer,” DeWine said while also emphasizing that testing inside and outside of homes in the village have no found no signs of toxins that were on the train. Associated Press
‘I’m exhausted’: East Palestine residents on mental toll of living in the shadow of catastrophic train accident
Monday 20 February 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco
Residents affected by the train derailment are still waiting for satisfactory answers. The Independent’s Graig Graziosi reports from East Palestine.
Many are sceptical about the rail company Norfolk Southern’s intentions, sceptical about what they’re being told by the Environmental Protection Agency, and sceptical of the state’s response.
Read the full story below.
Uncertainty weighs heavy on East Palestine after train derailment
EPA administrator tells residents to ‘trust the government’
Monday 20 February 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco
The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency got a first-hand look on Thursday at the toll left by a freight train derailment in Ohio, where toxic chemicals spilled or were burned off, leaving the stench of fresh paint nearly two weeks later.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who walked along a creek that still reeks of chemicals, sought to reassure skeptical residents that the water is fit for drinking and the air safe to breathe around East Palestine, where just under 5,000 people live near the Pennsylvania state line.
“I’m asking they trust the government. I know that’s hard. We know there’s a lack of trust,” Regan said. “We’re testing for everything that was on that train.”
The DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment. Whose fault is it?
Monday 20 February 2023 02:00 , Andrea Blanco
“The only way I can describe it is like the doors of hell were open.”
That’s how Mahoning County Hazmat chief Steve Szekely described the acrid cloud of black smoke in the aftermath of the 3 February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where around 50 cars, some of them carrying toxic chemicals, went sliding off the tracks.
That disaster has caused residents and local wildlife to suffer a variety of symptoms, and led to chaos in Washington DC, as officials have sought to pin the tragedy on one party or policy.
Read more of Josh Marcus’s report for The Independent below.
The DC blame game begins over Ohio train derailment. Whose fault is it?
Mapped: Where did the train carrying toxic chemicals crash in Ohio?
Monday 20 February 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco
East Palestine was thrown into chaos on the night of 3 February when a 150-car Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals and other materials suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, hurtling the cars off the tracks.
