After a little more than a year, the community of East Palestine is still being affected by the aftermath of the train derailment. On Feb. 3, 2023, the lives of many in the community and surrounding areas were changed. A Norfolk Southern train derailed, causing a massive fire that leaked toxic chemicals, after it was at risk of blowing up. To protect the area as best as possible, officials decided to do a controlled release of the chemicals. At the time, it seemed like the best option; however, only some agreed.
Many residents were forced out of their homes, left with nowhere to go, but told they could not stay. Those who stayed quickly saw the effects in their daily lives. Many residents who had pets noticed symptoms of poisoning. Some residents had health problems, such as troubled breathing, rashes and earaches.
The reason for the derailment was simple, the wheel bearings on the cars had overheated. Although this tripped the sensors, they were not hot enough to trigger an alert. By the time the wheels were hot enough, it was already too late for the crew to do anything to stop the train. Once the train had derailed, five out of 11 train cars that continued to burn had raised suspicion. Releasing the chemical, vinyl chloride, was the best way to control this situation. A large black plume filled the skies of East Palestine, which worried many about possible air contamination. However, authorities were keeping a close eye on the quality of the air, ensuring that everything was safe.
Even after a year, the area is still not completely cleaned up and safe. Many agencies have worked day and night to ensure the soil and water are safe for everyone around. A lot of progress has been made. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there were over 350 million pounds of contaminated soil at the site. After a lot of testing, as of now, the site has been determined non-hazardous. They will continue to test the site to further ensure that the site stays non-hazardous.
President Joe Biden’s visit on Feb. 16 came a year after the derailment, a visit for which the president faced criticism from Republicans for delaying, although the Biden administration did offer the full support of the federal governmen. The mayor of East Palestine invited Biden to make his appearance a year later. During his visit, Biden praised the community’s courage and resilience while insisting the derailment would not define them. In his remarks, Biden discussed to ongoing research on the short- and long-term impacts of the spill, for which officials will continue to test air, water and soil quality.
What matters most to the community is just that they have a safe home to go to at the end of the day. No matter what happened on Feb. 3, residents of East Palestine want to feel safe. However, life will never be the same for many people who live and may still live in the area.
In the wake of the accident, Biden committed to holding Norfolk Southern accountable for cleaning up the spill and any lasting effects to the community or its residents.