Image via Getty/NTSB/Handout/Xinhua
On Feb. 3 of this year, multiple cars carrying hazardous chemicals as part of a train operated by Norfolk Southern were confirmed to have derailed in the East Palestine area of Ohio.
Developments surrounding the troublingly toxic event have continued to spill out in the weeks since, with updates from the scene of the crash ranging from the frustratingly vague to the expectedly opportunistic. At multiple points throughout the increasingly nationwide coverage, it’s also been noted how the derailment mirrors pivotal sequences in Noah Baumbach’s recent Netflix film White Noise, itself an adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel of the same name.
All of this has built toward a larger discussion on how the real-world impacts of an aggressively capitalistic society always fall atop the already burdened backs of everyday people, all while those with more than enough money to their name count up new dollars.
Meanwhile, as is unfortunately often the case with news of this magnitude, a faction of people have used this frightening-enough-on-its-own story to complicate matters even more by spreading misleading information later pointed out as false. (Consider this another reminder to always stay diligent when it comes to social media-made claims and only rely on strong sources for confirmation.)
As we near one month since word first broke of the derailment, we take a look at what’s happened so far in response to the crash, both at the local and federal level. Read more below.
What happened?
Shortly before 9:00 p.m. local time, as outlined in a subsequent incident report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a Norfolk Southern-operated freight train initially derailed 38 cars in East Palestine. 11 of those derailed cars were confirmed to be carrying various hazardous materials, vinyl chloride among them.
According to the NTSB, the crew of the freight train was instructed to “slow and stop the train” due to a possible hot axle issue alerted to them via the hot bearing detector system. After the stop, the crew spoke with a local dispatcher about “fire and smoke” they had spotted, with local emergency response efforts having started soon after.
By Feb. 5, while the fire is said to have been “mitigated” at this point in the response, national attention started turning to five derailed tank cars that had been carrying tens of thousands of gallons of vinyl chloride. Citing explosion concerns given the conditions, what’s been billed as “a controlled venting” took place on Feb. 6, at which point the previously announced one-mile evacuation zone was doubled in area.
How has the spill impacted the environment and residents?
Since the earliest days of the response, residents and others affected at the local level have been understandably adamant about expressing their ongoing concerns and frustrations.
“It’s scary because they could come test it tomorrow and it be safe. But is it gonna be safe a month from now? Is it gonna be safe two months from now?” one resident told News 5 Cleveland earlier this month when addressing the then-current protocols surrounding air and water testing.
In terms of environmental impact, many have argued that the true toll on the region may not be known for some time. As of Feb. 21, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it had helped with indoor air monitoring for more than 550 homes in the evacuation zone. At that time, the EPA said, there had been “no detections” of either vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride above what they say has been determined as “levels of concern.”
Meanwhile, a number of advocates have pressed for more information on the environmental impact, particularly in response to growing concerns of more long-term damage to the affected area. Activist Erin Brockovich, notably, provided a platform for worried residents to unite behind their shared concerns at an event sponsored by her East Palestine Justice group this month.
Within weeks, the first wave of derailment-spurred legal action began, including by way of a number of proposed class action cases. Most recently, the law firms Johnson and Johnson and Hagens Berman filed a class action suit against Norfolk Southern Corp. alleging, among other things, that the company “wasted the chance” to make a timely report on the derailment.
“Norfolk Southern’s misguided cleanup effort unleashed a chemical warfare agent on the residents of East Palestine,” attorney Nils Johnson Jr. said. “The company’s negligence didn’t just lead to this tragic disaster, it amplified the fallout considerably, and Norfolk Southern’s delayed response and eventual actions only added fuel to this fire.”
How has Norfolk Southern responded?
In one of several recently issued statements, a rep for Norfolk Southern said the entire rail industry should seek “to learn as much as we can” from the East Palestine derailment.
The company has since launched a designated website for its East Palestine strategy. Included in the financial aspect of the company’s efforts are $5.8 million in direct assistance, a million-dollar budget for the newly announced community liaison position, a million-dollar community fund, and a donation of $3 million to the local fire department.
On Feb. 21, the EPA confirmed it was requiring Norfolk Southern to take several step in response to the hazardous materials spill. Namely, the company is now required to find and clean contaminated land and water. Furthermore, Norfolk Southern must reimburse the federal agency for costs related to its offering of resident cleaning services.
“Let me be clear: Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess they created and for the trauma they’ve inflicted on this community,” EPA administrator Michael S. Regan said when detailing the order.
Complex has reached out to the EPA for additional comment. This section may be updated.
On Feb. 16, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine asked for more help at the federal level. The Biden-Harris administration confirmed one day after the formal request that both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would both be sending a team of experts to the scene.
Simultaneously, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it would be offering its own assistance in the form of involvement from a Senior Response Official and a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team.
These agencies, respectively, join the aforementioned EPA and NTSB at the federal response level.
In comments to reporters on Feb. 24, President Biden was asked whether he planned to visit East Palestine. Though there were no such plans in place at the time, Biden pushed back against the assertion some have put forth regarding his administration’s response to the crash.
“The idea that we’re not engaged is just simply not—not there,” Biden said, adding that the administration is “doing all we can.”