In the wake of a devastating tornado, flood or hurricane, it’s common for communities to band together. But something different can happen after manmade disasters, particularly toxic ones.
Ohio EPA and EPA contractors collect soil and air samples from the derailment site on March 9, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. Cleanup efforts continue after a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed causing an environmental disaster. The Norfolk Southern Corp. train was on fire when it passed Jessica Conard’s backyard in East Palestine, Ohio. Conard was lying in bed, blinds closed, unaware of the catastrophe barreling into her hometown.
Within days, the evacuation order was lifted and trains were running on new tracks laid atop contaminated soil, as confusion reigned. Residents reported headaches, nose bleeds and vomiting, among other symptoms. Environmental monitoring expanded to include people’s homes, the municipal water system and private water wells. On Feb. 15, community members packed into a town hall to get answers, but Norfolk Southern representatives didn’t show.
The EPA is also looking ahead. “People have been traumatized. This is a major, major incident in their community,” Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said in April. “What I’ve learned is that these folks here are strong. They are resilient. They have great love for their community and East Palestine is gonna be one of the best comeback stories in America.”In the wake of a devastating tornado, flood or hurricane, it’s common for communities to band together.
East Palestine is not a corrosive community yet, Gill said, but the early signs are there — starting with the overwhelming uncertainty around safety. The EPA says Whelton hasn’t shared enough data for the agency to verify his concerns. “EPA has visited several locations where Sulphur Run is located under the buildings and has not noticed any odors associated with n-butyl acrylate, the primary contaminant of concern in the creeks,” spokesperson Rusty Harris-Bishop said in a statement, adding that water and air sampling nearby “do not show any levels of concern.
The disconnect between the official line on safety and people’s lived experiences has made it hard for residents to trust authorities. “There’s just so much confusion and a lot of mixed messaging,” said East Palestine resident Misti Allison. Whelton says there’s also a disconnect between people who personally experienced symptoms and those who never did.
Everyone in East Palestine has an opinion about Norfolk Southern. As of June 20, the company has spent about $62 million on its derailment response. It set up a family-assistance center to offer reimbursements to people in the community, donated $300,000 to the East Palestine school district and reimbursed $825,000 to the fire department for equipment use.
In East Palestine, Conard has also experienced name-calling — not for taking Norfolk Southern’s money, but for leaving her job as a speech language pathologist to work for East Palestine Justice. Supported by activist Erin Brockovich, the group sprung up after the derailment to pursue litigation against Norfolk Southern. Conard says she was called a “demonizer” and “special interest terrorist” by people in the community. In late May, she and East Palestine Justice “amicably” parted ways.
The pace of legal proceedings doesn’t help. It took five years for a class-action lawsuit following the Alaska spill to go to trial, at which a jury awarded fishermen, native Alaskans and others $5 billion in damages. It took another 14 years, and multiple court decisions, for plaintiffs to see even a fraction of that money.
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