East Palestine residents question Norfolk Southern, other agencies at community resource fair
Families in East Palestine are looking for answers about how last month's train derailment will impact their futures. Tonight, the EPA hosted a resource fair with health, safety and environmental experts, as well as North folks southern representatives. News 5's Captain Ross was there and spoke with residents who say they're still frustrated by the response and confused about what comes next. Thursday night, a lower turnout than past events, but still many questions remain. There's a lot of fear about where do we go from here? What do we do this summer? Can he play outside? Can we plant a garden? Are we going to be able to sell our house one day? Gia D'Alicio and Brandon Wiley brought their three-year-old to the resource fair at East Palestine High School, hoping to get some answers. But after more than a month of evolving information and advice about what to do in the wake of the fiery derailment, mass evacuation and controlled burn, they tell us they're overwhelmed and confused. There is a lack of trust there and just not knowing what to do going forward.
Thursday, D'Alicio and others are getting the chance to ask one-on-one questions of the Health Department, EPA, CDC and North folks southern. We want to make sure all agencies and organizations that have anything to do with the recovery of this incident are present. In addition to North folks southern, it's important for them to be here. The conversations here are happening just hours after the railroad company's CEO testified in Congress, vowing to make it right for East Palestine. But many here are reluctant to believe it. I still think that corporate greed is at the root of this problem. Just all being regurgitated over and over and over again.
Dana Linger is here from a neighboring community to tell North folks southern and other agencies that negligence needs help too. When the burn happened, all the fumes that are heavier than air sunk down to Neggle, all the water coming from Palestine goes to Neggle and their wells are all really shallow there. The EPA says it's going through protocol to ramp up air, water and soil testing. Now that we have the wider area to look at, we have to make sure that any sampling and testing we're doing is done properly. Some tell us they're glad to see ongoing efforts, but uncertain what they could mean in the long run. It's nice seeing them in town. It's good to know that things are happening, but you just don't know if at the end of the day this is all going to come out like wow, remember that crazy year or if this is going to be a lifelong battle for our property values and our health and our town in general.
And the US EPA tells me that it'll start soil testing along with Norfolk Southern tomorrow. Those results will likely take more than a week to get back in East Palestine. Catherine Ross News 5.
East Palestine