Devastating aftermath of Ohio train derailment revealed in shocking drone footage
The Ohio Department of Health is launching a clinic in East Palestine on Tuesday to address growing health fears among residents after the 3 February train derailment prompted operator Norfolk Southern to release and burn a toxic chemical to avoid an explosion.
There are particular concerns over the local water supply, with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown refusing to say whether or not he would drink the water in the area. The lawmaker skirted around the question in an interview with CNN on Sunday but said that he believes local residents are “right to be skeptical” about assurances coming from officials.
The Environmental Protection Agency is leading the Biden administration’s response to the incident and Administrator Michael Regan will make a second visit to the village on Tuesday with Ohio and Pennsylvania governors Mike DeWine and Josh Shapiro, in addition to Congressman Bill Johnson.
Pressure is mounting on Norfolk Southern over the incident, with residents demanding answers. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has written a sharply worded letter to the company but is also facing criticism from the GOP as he is yet to visit the area.
Watch: Detroit derailment aftermath
Derailed train scattered over tracks in Detroit captured on drone footage
A train detailed outside Detroit, Michigan, on Thursday morning (16 February), two weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, causing an environmental catastrophe. One of the Detroit train cars was believed to have been carrying hazardous materials, but there were no signs of a leak or any danger to the public, officials told WXYZ. It comes as footage of an apparently heavily-contaminated creek emerged from East Palestine after the derailed freight train leaked toxic materials into the community. Click here to sign up for our materials.
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2023 05:30
Similar risks, different outcomes
Police Chief Jason Wright feared the worst as he rushed to the scene of a freight train derailment in Michigan’s Van Buren Township, mindful of a fiery rail crash this month in Ohio that led to evacuations and a toxic chemical release.
Instead, the situation a half-hour’s drive west of Detroit was far less grim: 28 of 134 cars in a Norfolk Southern train had gone at least partially off the track Thursday with a couple overturned and several others upright but knocked sideways. No one was injured and nothing appeared to have spilled. The lone car carrying hazardous materials wasn’t affected.
“We couldn’t believe how lucky we were, considering the awful situation over there in Ohio,” Wright said Friday.
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2023 03:30
East Palestine livestock owners race to protect their animals after train derailment
Graig Graziosi reports on the frantic race to save animals from the toxic chemicals.
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2023 01:30
What chemicals were spilled and how toxic are they?
Some 38 cars derailed from a Norfolk Southern freight train on 3 February. Around 10 of those cars were carrying hazardous materials when it careened off the tracks after suffering a broken axle, investigators said.
But what were the chemicals?
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2023 00:30
Map: Where in Ohio did the derailment occur?
East Palestine is situated in Columbiana County, right on the edge of Ohio’s border with Pennsylvania.
The railroad tracks where the derailment occurred run along the southern border of the village.
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2023 23:30
Did a Netflix movie ‘predict’ the train derailment?
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2023 22:30
EPA administrator returning to East Palestine on Tuesday
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan will return to East Palestine, Ohio for the second time to meet with local, state, and federal leaders and provide an update on the ongoing Federal response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
Mr Regan will also announce additional measures to ensure the health and safety of this community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.
The EPA is leading the Biden administration’s multi-pronged response to the incident and has been on the scene since day one. It also secured a commitment from Norfolk Southern to pay for cleanup costs.
A press conference is scheduled for 12.30pm on Tuesday, with Mr Regan joined by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Congressman Bill Johnson, and EPA regional administrator Debra Shore.
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2023 22:05
Vance: ‘Congress can legislate a solution to this problem’
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2023 21:55
Environmental activist, PG&E whistleblower Erin Brockovich to visit East Palestine
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will attend a town hall in East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.
Ms Brockovich announced her upcoming visit on Thursday through Twitter. The activist previously criticized the EPA and state lawmakers for telling people it was safe to return to their homes and at the same time, sending a legal notice to the rail operator over the threat of environmental contamination.
“This is why people don’t trust government,” she tweeted last week. “You cannot tell people that there has been and continues to be hazardous pollutants contaminating the environment while at the same time saying ‘all is well.’”
Ms Brockovich will hold a townhall in the village on Friday. It was previously scheduled for earlier in the week but was rescheduled as Donald Trump is visiting the area on Wednesday.
Ms Brockovich became a whistleblower in the 1993 Pacific Gas & Electric Company case after speaking out about unexplained illnesses that residents of Hinckley, California, were experiencing. A lawsuit in the case led to a $333 million settlement, while Ms Brockovich was portrayed in a 2000 movie by Julia Roberts.
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2023 21:45
Second train derails in Ohio – weeks after East Palestine disaster
Another train has derailed in Ohio, this time in Delphos, a small city approximately 88 miles southwest of Toledo near the state’s western border.
Law enforcement in Delphos was notified around 12:45am on Sunday that a train running through the centre of the city derailed near a grain elevator, according to Your Hometown Stations.
Graig Graziosi filed this report:
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2023 21:30
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