Ohio Train Derailment: Toxic Chemicals and Distrust Remain in East Palestine
Environment,Ohio Train Crash,Train Derailment,Public Health,Department Of Transportation,Public Safety
Shelby Walker said she was watching a movie with her family on the evening of Feb. 3 when a 150-car Norfolk Southern train skirting the edge of town came off the tracks, sending 38 cars into a jumbled mass that caught fire and sent orange flames and black smoke into the sky.
On Tuesday, she watched as a machine with a scissor-like attachment shredded a scorched railcar that had fallen near the bicycles, trampoline and plastic play toys in her backyard. Over the clanging of steel being torn apart, Ms. Walker, 48 years old, said her family is still haunted by the accident, which sent chemicals into the air, ground and creeks leading to the Ohio River.
Like many people in and around this village, with a population of nearly 5,000, Ms. Walker, who works as a supervisor at a local hotel, said she is worried about contamination, distrustful of railroad and government officials and frustrated by what she described as a lack of clarity about what the continued risks are.
“I want to know what we’re being exposed to,” said Ms. Walker. “People are looking for answers on how to deal with the situation we’re in.”
