A VILLAGE REELS AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT FIRE
‘We’re scared for our kids, our house, everything’
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — This quiet village of about 5,000 people just across the Pennsylvania border has been thrown into chaos and uncertainty.
A large sign greets visitors to East Palestine, declaring the Ohio town about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh is “The Place You Want to Be!” But for residents displaced over the weekend by a massive train derailment and fire, East Palestine is suddenly the last place they want to be. They ended the weekend confronting questions about their health, safety and where to stay.
As much of the village remained under an evacuation order Sunday, and a preliminary federal investigation found that a mechanical issue with a railcar axle may have caused the derailment, East Palestine’s downtown and residential areas were largely deserted. An occasional person could be seen walking their dog. One woman sat outside her downtown home, near the local fire station, smoking a cigarette. A pungent chemical smell hung in the air.
On Sumner Street, four workers collected items from a stream in garbage bags, many of them stained dark yellow and brown. One worker wearing an oxygen tank and full head gear waded in the water with a white hose. Two residents parked nearby to take photos.
The driver, who would only give her first name, Connie, said the tiny stream is a water source for the town. She said she’s worried about contamination from hazardous materials on the train.
“They’re skimming the water for chemicals,” she said. “This is going to be in our water. I think they’re hiding stuff.”
Mayor Trent Conaway tried to dispel those fears Sunday, and despite the smell in the air, officials said that air and water quality tests showed no reason for alarm.
“The drinking water is safe, so any rumors you hear are untrue,” Mr. Conaway said during a news conference.
Officials with the Ohio EPA have set up dams and booms in waterways surrounding the area, which collect any contaminants floating on top of the water.
Meanwhile, as fires from the 50-car derailment continued to burn two days after the crash late Friday, and fears persisted about a cancerous chemical called vinyl chloride that some of the cars were carrying, East Palestine scrambled to help residents in need.
A town community center became a hub for financial help, organized by Norfolk Southern, the rail operator. And officials turned the East Palestine High School gymnasium into a shelter with beds, food, blankets and other necessities, run by volunteers from the American Red Cross.
Kathy Burr came to the community center after local law enforcement told her to evacuate her home Sunday morning. She recalled smoke coming in late Friday night after the derailment. The mayor ordered an evacuation Saturday of a one-mile area around the crash site, and the sheriff’s department went door to door on Sunday morning. Ms. Burr said she hadn’t been told to leave until Sunday.
“I haven’t had to stay anywhere because I wasn’t notified,” she said. “Then they told me I had to leave. I said, ‘I’m diabetic. Should I take my medicine with me?’ ”
The railroad tracks run directly behind her home. She normally has trouble sleeping because of noise from the train. Ms. Burr said she only learned about resources at the community center from local news reports, so she threw on a Steelers sweatshirt to head over. She came to look for help finding a temporary place to stay. She’s worried about chemicals from the train wreck after battling breast cancer.
“I don’t want my cancer coming back,” she said.
After waiting a half-hour, Ms. Burr said, Norfolk Southern cut her a check for $200. While grateful for the extra cash, she was not sure how far it would go.
“What are you going to do when the money runs out?” she said. “Where do we go? Who knows when we’re going to be allowed back?”
While ensuring residents Sunday that the air outside the evacuation zone and the drinking water remains safe, Mr. Conaway also emphasized the need to leave.
“I cannot stress enough that if you are in the evacuation zone you need to leave,” he said. “It could be a dangerous situation. I don’t want to see any of our residents get hurt.”
More people gathered at the community center as the morning went on. With officials letting the rail car fires burn out, it remained unclear when the derailment scene would even be cleared. A Norfolk Southern employee, who declined to give his name, told residents the center was reaching capacity and the company was only processing reimbursement payments.
“We’re getting full,” he said. “If you guys need somewhere that’s warm, if you need somewhere that’s comfortable, the Red Cross is open.”
Jami Cozza wasn’t satisfied by the response from the city or the rail company. On Friday night, police came by her home and told her family to leave. She was supposed to pay her rent on Friday, but had to use the money for a hotel in West Virginia.
“People in our community don’t even have 100 bucks in their bank account to go get a hotel,” Ms. Cozza said. “Someone needs to stand up for the poor people that can’t get out of here.”
Moo Blake said she received a harrowing message early Sunday morning.
“The sheriff came and knocked on my neighbor’s door and said that everyone had to be out of there, and if not, they’re coming back with body bags,” she said.
Officers directed her to the community center to get help paying for a hotel, but she later realized the payments only come as reimbursements. For now, she said, a local assistance group has provided her with an apartment, but she doesn’t know how long she can stay there. Her home was filled with smoke Friday night.
“They’re saying if I don’t leave, I’m going to die,” she said. “Some people don’t have money to leave.”
Frankie and Mickey Young were sitting nearby with their black Pomeranian, Squirt. Mr. Young recalled taking the dog out Friday and seeing flames rising in the sky. But they only left Sunday. The couple found a hotel to stay, but food is another issue. Living off a fixed income, Mr. Young said he doesn’t have a car, cellphone, computer or credit card.
For Trystan Reynolds, who stopped by the Red Cross shelter, finding a hotel proved difficult because so many of his neighbors were trying to do the same.
Mr. Reynolds, a local school basketball coach, was coming home from a game Friday night when he noticed a train come to a screeching halt. By the time he pulled into his driveaway, he saw the “biggest flame” he’s ever seen.
“You could feel the heat from where it was,” he said. “It was pretty intense.”
He made the quick decision to take his dog and sleep in his school office that night.
Mr. Reynolds has since been able to get other needed items out of his house. His brother, a firefighter from further south in Ohio, geared up to go inside for him.
A potent chemical stench lingered across town Sunday.
“I can’t put my finger on it, like I can’t describe it,” Mr. Reynolds said. “But it hits my eyes more than anything.”
Another couple at the school, John and Amanda Minerd, found temporary refuge in the shelter, filling up on coffee and rest. They left town after the incident and came back Sunday — to bad news.
“We get home and I’m just putting everything away, the sheriff comes and starts knocking on our door to tell us to get out again,” Mrs. Minerd said.
“We’re scared for our kids, our house, everything,” she added. “We don’t know what we’re going to do. This is a little scrappy town. Nobody even knew we existed until now.”