Chemical crisis in East Palmestenes after a freight train accident: public feedback from the railroad operator, the EPA, and the Norfolk Southern Railroad

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment packed a school gym on Wednesday to seek answers about whether they were safe from toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off.

Residents have been reassured by officials that there is no danger in the air or water. The EPA said that crews have not found any dangerous levels of contaminants after checking hundreds of homes.

Representatives of the train’s operator planned on attending the Wednesday night meeting to provide information to residents on how they are handling the chemical crisis. But the company backed out, citing threats against its employees.

Norfolk Southern stated that it would not be attending the open house gathering due to a growing physical threat to its employees and members of the community.

Concerns over potential threats to pets and wild animals, the smell of smoke, as well as the potential impact on drinking water, came up at Wednesday’s meeting.

East Palestine, Pennsylvania, a rail line accident that spilled toxic chemicals into a city and killed thousands of fish, and it caused environmental and environmental harm

Why aren’t they talking about it? Kathy said something about the railroad. “They’re not out here supporting, they’re not out here answering questions. For three days we didn’t even know what was on the train.”

In and around East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, residents said they wanted assistance navigating the financial help the railroad offered hundreds of families who evacuated, and they want to know whether it will be held responsible for what happened.

“The pollution, which continues to contaminate the area around East Palestine, created a nuisance, damage to natural resources and caused environmental harm,” Yost said in a letter to the company.

Health authorities have also tested water from at least 74 private wells and those results are pending. If you drink bottled water from a private well, you should wait for your test results, the governor said.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates the spill affected more than seven miles (11.2 kilometers) of streams and killed some 3,500 fish, mostly small ones such as minnows and darters.

Norfolk Southern has spent a lot of money on financial assistance to East Palestine, including direct financial assistance to families and a $1 million community assistance fund.

The crash near East Palestine that spilled hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into a town has taken a toll on Norfolk Southern. Some have since reported rashes and lingering foul smells, sparking calls for increased railroad safety and rail line accountability.

The crash marks the rail line’s second major derailment in just over a month and comes amid lingering questions about environmental and public health in nearby East Palestine, where a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed on Feb. 3.

The investigation will also look into the train’s wheelset and bearing, the designs of tank cars and railcars, the maintenance procedures and practices, as well as the damage from the derailment, the NTSB report noted.

The Environmental Response to the East Palestine Railroad Pedestrian’s Trajectory: A Report on the Environmental Response, Public Hearings, and Implications

Misinformation and exaggerations spread online, and state and federal officials have repeatedly offered assurances that air monitoring hasn’t detected any remaining concerns. The health director for Ohio said Tuesday low levels of contaminants can create odors and symptoms, even though they are not considered hazardous.

The administrator of the EPA arrived in East Palestine to take a closer look at the response to the train wreck. The administrator meets with city, state, and federal leaders involved in the response, hearing directly from residents about the impacts of the crisis and discuss EPA’s work.

Speaking to CNN’s Jason Carroll Thursday morning, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said the agency has full authority to use its enforcement capabilities over the crisis.

“We issued a notice of accountability to the company, and they’ve signed that, indicating that they will be responsible for the cleanup,” Regan told CNN. “But as this investigation continues, and as new facts arise, let me just say, and be very clear, I will use the full enforcement authority of this agency, and so will the federal government, to be sure that this company is held accountable.”

Hundreds of East Palestine residents attended a town hall to express their anger and distrust. The operator of the train agreed to attend but pulled out because of safety concerns.

The agency’s move comes as the emergency response effort has now morphed into an environmental cleanup that is the responsibility of the railroad, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during a Tuesday press conference.

“I want the community to know that we hear you, we see you, and that we will get to the bottom of this,” Regan said. All volatile organic chemicals are being tested. Everything that was on that train is being tested. We arecasting a net wide enough to present a picture that will protect the community.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture explains why vinyl chloride isn’t in the water near the June 14 train wreck and why she doesn’t feel safe in her town

The CDC should send medical assistance such as doctors and professionals who can evaluate residents who are experiencing symptoms, in order to help DeWine.

DeWine said that emergency teams have plans in place to prevent pollutants from washing into local waterways during the storms.

The Ohio EPA’s Chief of the Division of Surface Water said there were no signs of vinyl chloride in the water near the train wreck. Even though some of the waterways near the derailment are still contaminated, the agency believes that the contaminants are contained.

DeWine said the Ohio Department of Agriculture continues to assure Ohioans that its food supply is safe and the risk to livestock remains low following the train derailment.

According to lifelong resident Jessica Conard, she does not feel safe in her town due to not knowing what the future holds. This has the potential to decimate a small town like us.

Further spurring residents’ questions about safety were crews’ decision to conduct controlled detonations February 6 of some of the tanks that were carrying toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride that has the potential to kill at high levels and increase cancer risk.

The Olathe-Italy Train-Derailment East Palestine Thursday (Ohio) Route 8487: A Brief Reaction to the Company and the Local Government

“I need help,” Conaway told reporters Wednesday night. I am on the back of the village, and I will do whatever it takes to make this right. I’m not leaving, I’m not going anywhere.”

The company said that it has become increasingly concerned about the physical threat to its employees and community around the event because of the increasing likelihood of outside parties.

The company’s absence from the meeting was “a slap in the face,” according to a man who lives less than a mile from where the train derailed.

Velez and his family are temporarily staying in rentals away from the town. He toldCNN that when he got to the town, a chemical odor left his eyes and throat burning, and made him have a headaches.

Most people had to go home. He said that all of the people who had to go home were complaining of things such as headaches, nausea, and throat pains. “I have gone back a few times, and the smell does make you sick. It hurts your head.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html

Jami Cozza and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company’s Treatment of a Contaminated Creek in East Palestine: “It’s Happening Again.” Communications on the East Palestine Railroad Accident

“I was extremely disappointed that they didn’t show up at the town hall meeting last night. The public deserves transparency,” he said. The public wants to have the most up to date information. I assure you that we will hold this company accountable, and it is our job as the federal government.

Jami Cozza and her family have lived in East Palestine for generations near a creek that has been polluted by a railroad wreck, but now they are at a hotel paid for by the railroad.

Speaking to CNN’s Don Lemon, Cozza said the railroad company told her it was safe to return home after conducting air testing. She insisted that the railroad company do a soil and water test and a toxicologist find her house to be unsafe.

“Had I not used my voice, had I not thrown a fit, I would be sitting in that house right now, when they told me that it was safe,” Cozza said Thursday.

Crews are still working to respond to the freight disaster in East Palestine as community members worry about possible adverse health effects from the toxic materials released when dozens of cars derailed after a likely mechanical failure.

Some documents posted by the EPA show that Norfolk Southern has not removed the contaminated soil from the site. Norfolk Southern is working to clean up the site, including the removal of soil.

The mess that Norfolk Southern created and the trauma they inflicted will be paid for by the railroad. “Norfolk Southern will always be held responsible for the mess that they created.”

A toxic train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, which stirred anxiety about potential health effects and caused an operator to pay to clean the mess, will receive support from the nation’s top environmental official.

More than $6 million has been committed in East Palestine by the company, including millions of dollars in direct financial assistance to families impacted by the accident.

In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, CEO Alan Shaw responded to criticism from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, saying the company invests more than $1 billion a year in “science-based” safety solutions, including maintaining tracks, equipment and technology.

Shaw said that it was pretty clear that the safety culture and investments in safety didn’t prevent the accident. “We need to take a look at this and see what we can do differently and what we can do better.”

Cleanup and Health Care of the Springfield Derailment of a Pennsylvania Train Wreck on Dec. 8, 2002

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro praised the EPA for taking charge of the cleanup from the crash, which took place less than a mile from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

Shaw, the CEO of Norfolk Southern, refused to answer questions about the wreck investigation and details of what may have caused the crash, saying he was barred from talking about it.

Four nearly empty tankers were among the derailed cars, carrying residual levels of diesel exhaust fluid and a polyacrylamide water solution, said Springfield hazmat coordinator Matt Smith. The materials were described as industrial products by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

The evacuation order was lifted on Feb. 8. Since then, some residents in the area have complained of health problems, such as headaches and nausea, and many have expressed concerns over possible contamination of the air and water supply.

Air and water monitoring has not found any concerns according to the officials. The EPA said in a report last week that they detected no pollutants associated with the train wreck, and that they had conducted indoor air testing at 574 homes.

Ohio state officials have opened a health clinic in East Palestine for residents who believe they may have health issues as a result of the derailment, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.

He said that people want to be able to go someplace and get some answers if they believe they are having a health problem.

The Norfolk Southern Derailment, Ohio, Dec. 3: Water Safety in the Community as Ceremoniously Asserted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

So far, about 1.8 million gallons of liquid waste and 4,832 cubic yards of solid waste have been pulled from the derailment site, according to the office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

President Joe Biden echoed the sentiment Tuesday, calling the EPA’s order “common sense.” “This is their mess. They should clean it up,” the president said of Norfolk Southern in an Instagram post.

As part of the continued fallout, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said state environmental officials made a “criminal referral” against Norfolk Southern. The lawallows the attorney general to take actions according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

Skepticism further spread in the community as some residents have reported health problems, like rashes and headaches, and after thousands of fish died in Ohio waterways after the train derailed.

Air and water quality testing has so far found no dangers to residents of the small village near the Pennsylvania border after the February 3 derailment, and Regan said he has “absolute confidence” in the agency’s data.

Toasting with glasses of tap water from the home of an East Palestine, Ohio, resident, Regan and DeWine sought to quell bubbling concerns about the safety of the water.

The train operator gave officials inaccurate information in the days after the toxic wreck andfused to explore or articulate alternative courses of action, as Pennsylvania’s governor alleged Tuesday.

Norfolk Southern After the Wreck: An East Palestine Health Clinic for Nuisance, Awakening, and Other Symptoms in Residents’ Concerns

The president and CEO of Norfolk Southern said that his company was very involved with the local efforts in East Palestine after the train wreck.

Feb. 18 — Air monitoring and indoor air screening continue, according to the EPA. Municipal water samples show no water quality concerns, the agency says.

DeWine said it is absurd that the law didn’t make Norfolk Southern tell officials about the train that had hazardous materials on it.

President Biden accused the Trump administration of limiting its ability to strengthen rail safety measures after he called on Congress to help implement rail safety measures.

Biden wrote that this is more than a train crash or a toxic waste spill, it is the years of opposition to safety measures coming home to roost.

There was a concern by citizens that the railroad didn’t start and the soil behind it hadn’t been dealt with, according to DeWine. “So, under the administrator’s order, that soil will be removed. So the tracks will have to be taken up and that soil will have to be removed.”

As crews continue cleanup efforts and officials promise accountability, East Palestine residents are still dealing with fears surrounding potential impacts from the toxic wreck.

Still, the state has opened a new health clinic to address reports of nausea, headaches and other symptoms in East Palestine.

The EPA Administrator and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Final Report on the Easing of a Toxic Train Wreck

The EPA administrator said Tuesday that he is not discounted what people are experiencing and asked anyone concerned to seek medical attention.

People who say they are facing adverse impacts, I believe them. Regan said they were asking them to seek medical attention and then adding that information as part of their response. “We’re not discounting what people are experiencing at all. They should seek medical help while we conduct our investigations.

“We need our town cleaned up, we need our residents to feel safe in their homes,” Conaway said at Tuesday news conference. The number one thing is that. Your home is your sanctuary: if you don’t feel safe in your home, then you’re never going to feel safe anywhere.”

Nearly three weeks since the toxic train wreck in a small Ohio community, the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its preliminary report on the derailment.

The East Palestine train derailment: Jim Stewart, the mother of a dog, and Marjory Conaway, says it is not a good idea to go back home

Jim Stewart, who has lived in East Palestine for more than six decades, said the wreck burned down his dreams of retiring soon and selling his house, adding he worries what the home’s value now looks like. He said he’s afraid to take his dog out, because of the strong stench, and wonders if he’ll be able to plant his tomatoes during the summer, after officials said the soil was also contaminated by chemicals.

The train traveled between Alliance, Ohio, and Salem, Ohio at an average speed of 49 miles per hour before it slowed to just half that speed between Salem and East Palestine.

Courtney Newman, a mother and teacher in East Palestine, said since her family returned home, her son has had “bloody noses every day,” and she has had “skin issues.”

Josh is still staying at a hotel because he does not feel safe returning to his hometown, but he has had to go to the village several times for various symptoms, and he sought treatment at the emergency room on Tuesday.

In addition to vinyl chloride, chemicals of concern at the site include phosgene and hydrogen chloride, which are released when vinyl chloride breaks down; butyl acrylate; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate; and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. All these chemicals can change when they break down or react with other things in the environment, creating a stew of potential toxins.

“We’re getting everything we need, except answers,” East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said Wednesday. “We need answers, as far as the health concerns.”

During the town hall, Ohio’s governor stressed he did not want to minimize any medical issues potentially linked to the derailment, saying that’s the reason he requested medical experts to the community.

Medical teams from the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services will also be on the ground this week at DeWine’s request, he said Friday.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-thursday/index.html

Update on Water Quality Testing and Preventing Polluted Water from the East Palestine Rail Derailment and Implications for Fire Chief Dave Nagel

Shaw said they are going to reimburse the citizens and invest in the long term health of the community. “I’m going to see this through, and we’re going to be here. And we will work with the community leaders to help you thrive.

DeWine said 4,588 cubic yards of soil and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water have been removed so far from East Palestine. The soil will be taken out by removing the railroad tracks.

In a Wednesday update, DeWine reiterated test results showed water coming from East Palestine’s municipal system was safe to drink, but said officials will continue testing the water weekly to ensure it remains clean.

Officials are also continuing to treat contamination in a creek that runs through the town, while water quality in a second body of water in the area “continues to improve, according to the governor. No vinyl chloride was detected in the waterways, the update said.

“Since I (got) home from evacuating, I’m still not using the water because I never know if … they’re telling the truth or it’s a lie,” resident Nene Stewart said during the town hall. I drink bottled water. I can’t. I’m not trusting what they’re saying. I don’t know who’s telling the truth.”

In order to prevent polluted water and floating product from entering the Sulphur Run and Leslie Run streams, contractors with the EPA install booms and underflow dams.

Local authorities imposed a precautionary shelter-in-place order for residents within 1,000 feet of the derailment, which impacted four or five residential homes, said Springfield Fire Chief Dave Nagel. The order was lifted 10 hours later.

Air Screening at Norfolk Southern, the 52nd Civil Service Team, and the EPA Investigation of a Water Contamination Complaint

EPA is assisting with voluntary residential air screening appointments offered by Norfolk Southern, the agency says. The air has been screened in 46 homes. There are over 400 requests for indoor air screening remaining.

The aerator pumps are located along the Sulphur Run and the confluence with Leslie Run. Aeration helps treat contamination by injecting oxygen into the water. The EPA says that the East Palestine water treatment plant has no adverse effects. EPA and Norfolk Southern contractors collect surface water samples for analysis.

The 52nd Civil Service Team conducts air monitoring in three public administration buildings and collects air samples from each building, according to the EPA.

The control burn’s byproducts have a low odor threshold, meaning that people may not smell the hazardous substances if they smell them.

The EPA is investigating a complaint of odors from the fire station. A team with air monitoring equipment goes to the station, where it does not observe any contaminants above detection limits.

The EPA and OHio EPA found spilled materials in Sulphur Run. Oily product is leaking from a tank car and pooling onto the soil. Norfolk Southern is notified of the spill and begins removing product with a vacuum truck.

Until Friday, Norfolk Southern was “solely responsible” for disposing of waste from the train derailment, Shore said Saturday, but waste disposal plans “will be subject to EPA review and approval moving forward.”

Residents’ Concerns with Air and Water Monitoring in East Palestine after the February 8 Fire: The Ohio EPA and the Train Derailment Timeline

Some residents still have concerns despite officials deeming the air and water samples safe. The officials said at the press conference that residents are being encouraged to get their homes deep cleaned and to seek medical attention if necessary.

The agency says that Ohio EPA leads the investigations into impacts to water. Samples from Sulphur Run and other points of nearby water streams are taken for testing.

The EPA is monitoring the air in East Palestine. Monitoring since the fire went out hasn’t found any levels of concern that can be attributed to the incident.

EPA discontinues phosgene and hydrogen chloride community air monitoring. There is no threat of vinyl chloride fire producing phosgene or hydrogen chloride after the February 8 fire was extinguished. EPA will continue 24-hour community air monitoring for other chemicals of concern.

Feb. 15 — Residents pack a high school gym in East Palestine for a meeting with officials to discuss the current state of their community, CNN reports.

Local leaders take questions from residents who voiced distrust of officials and anger about the transport company skipping the event.

Regional Administrator Debra Shore attends a community meeting alongside EPA on-scene coordinators and state and local officials to hear residents’ concerns.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-timeline/index.html

Environmental Protection and the Clark County, Ohio, Derailment. A report from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP in the Wetland), with an update from Senator Peltier

“Contaminated soil will continue (to) leech contaminants, both up into the air, and down into the surrounding ground,” Richard Peltier, an environmental health scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, tells CNN in an email. A flood of new contaminants will come in whenever it rains.

“I have been briefed by FRA leadership and spoke with Gov. DeWine to offer our support after the derailment today in Clark County, Ohio. The mayor said that no hazardous material release has been reported but that they would keep a close eye on it.

Norfolk Southern continues scrapping and removing rail cars at the derailment location, excavating contaminated areas, removing liquids from affected storm drains and staging recovered waste for transportation to an approved disposal facility, the EPA says. Water continues to be diverted from the upstream wetland area to Sulphur Run.

The state will open a health clinic for residents who are concerned about their symptoms being related to the train wreck.

• Reimburse the EPA for cleaning services to be offered to residents and businesses to provide an additional layer of reassurance, which will be conducted by EPA staff and contractors,

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office says it will investigate the train derailment following a criminal referral it received from the state department of environmental protection, according to a statement from the office.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and EPA-certified sites of the Pittsburgh-Harris County firefighting water line are refusing to accept new shipments

“Number two: They will pay for it – fully pay for it. At any moment, if we have to step in because they refuse to do anything, we will do the cleaning up ourselves. The EPA chief said they could fine them as much as $70,000 a day.

They will be able to charge us three times the cost of the government when we recover our total costs. The law provides that.

The Environmental Protection Agency over the weekend approved resuming shipments of the contaminated waste to two EPA-certified sites in Ohio: Heritage Thermal Services in East Liverpool and Vickery Environmental in Vickery.

That’s as officials in Texas and Michigan complained they didn’t receive any warning that hazardous waste from the crash would be shipped into their jurisdictions for disposal.

The Michigan and Ohio EPA approved sites are not currently accepting new shipments, and the EPA is looking at whether they have the capacity to accept more in the future.

All the rail cars held by investigators have been removed from the site, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director.

As a result of Shore’s comments, all aspects of transport and disposal of hazardous waste will be closely monitored by federal, state, and local governments.

Everything from waste labeling, packaging, and handling, as well as requirements for shipping documents that provide information about the wastes, have been covered by these extensive requirements.

About 2 million gallons of firefighting water from the train derailment site were expected to be disposed in Harris County, Texas, with about half a million gallons already there, according to the county’s chief executive.

A spokesperson Gov. DeWine told CNN the governor was not briefed on where in the country the shipments would be sent. The EPA and the train company are responsible for regulating the transport of material, which is typical, DeWine spokesman Daniel Tierney said Saturday.

The West Side of East Palestine: Health Concerns after the January 3 Firefighting Wreck and EPA/Biden’s Implications

A White House official told CNN that President Joe Biden directed the move to conduct door to door checks, conduct health surveys and give informational flyers in East Palestine.

A scientific team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collecting information from residents about symptoms they have experienced after the derailing of a train.

The EPA placedentinel wells near the city’s well field to monitor for pollution in the water as part of a long-term early detection system to protect the city.

About 102,000 gallons of liquid waste and 4,500 cubic yards of solid waste remained Saturday in storage on site in East Palestine – not including the five truckloads returned, according to DeWine. Additional solid and liquid wastes are being generated as the cleanup progresses, he added.

Dingell told CNN on Saturday that neither she nor Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were aware of plans for toxic waste to be delivered to disposal sites in her district.

The Chief Executive of Texas expressed frustration that she wasn’t informed about the water shipments from a government agency or the company hired to dispose of it from the news media.

Hidalgo said Texas Molecular told her office Thursday that half a million gallons of the water was already in the county and the shipments began arriving around last Wednesday.

Hidalgo’s office had been seeking information about the disposal, including the chemical composition of the firefighting water, the precautions that were being taken, and why Harris County was the chosen site, she said.

CNN asked the Ohio agency the location of the remaining 581,500 gallons which had been “removed” but not “hauled off-site” and has yet to receive a response.

Residents of the town are concerned about possible long-term health effects from the February 3 wreck, and questions about the treatment of the toxic waste have added to the controversy.

The mayor of East Liverpool, one of the towns set to incinerate the waste, expressed concerns about the process but said the EPA has assured him that everyone has been following necessary guidelines.

“We have a 2-year-old daughter and of course that’s a concern,” Mayor Gregory T. Bricker said. “But, again, I think this is a state-of-the-art facility that can handle this type of waste.”

After talking to East Palestine residents, Shore said he owes it to them to move the contaminated area out of the community as quickly as possible.

The Clark County Hazardous Solid Waste Treatment System Revisited after an Unstable Class of High Tension Power Line Decays

Four wells have been installed and up to three more will be drilled this week after the soil under the rails is completely excavated, officials said. Fourteen wells in total are planned.

The monitoring wells will allow a better understanding of the direction and rate of the ground water flow in the area.

The crew did not do anything wrong before the train wreck, but the crash is preventable, according to the chair of the safety board.

The Region 5 administrator for the EPA says that the facilities can accept some of the waste, which means they can restart shipments Monday.

“All of this is great news for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding community, because it means cleanup can continue at a rapid pace,” she said.

The Ohio governor’s office said Saturday night that five of the 20 truckloads (approximately 280 tons) of hazardous solid waste had been returned to East Palestine after 15 truckloads were disposed of at a Michigan hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility. Shore said material shipped out to sites in other states, but later returned to East Palestine, would now be shipped to the two Ohio sites.

The 212-car freight train was southbound through Clark County Saturday, en route to Birmingham, Alabama, when 28 of its cars derailed, downing large high tension power lines, knocking out power to some residents and temporarily prompting shelter-in-place orders to homes within 1,000 feet, authorities said.

“There have been multiple sweeps by multiple teams of technicians, hazmat and Ohio EPA to ensure that there aren’t any chemicals present in the soil, air or water that would harm the public here in Clark County,” Patterson added.

The four tank cars with residue had previously been carrying diesel exhaust fluid and an additive commonly used in wastewater treatment, but were empty when they derailed, according to Norfolk Southern General Manager of Operations Kraig Barner.

The EPA would be at the crash site to ensure that the soil is not impacted as cars are removed by Norfolk Southern.

“Since there have been no releases, we’re looking at clean air, clean soil and clean water for our residents,” Clark County Health Commissioner Charles Patterson said. “Technicians will continue to be on site to ensure that there isn’t any contamination that has been missed.”

The Clark County Railroad Derailed: A Multi-Team Scenario with Multiple Sweeps by Multiple Teams and a Power Shutdown

The rail safety was put under scrutiny after the recent incident of a train derailing. Data from the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis shows there have been at least 1,000 derailments in the United States each year during the past decade.

“We’re looking at clean air, clean soil and clean water,” said Clark County health commissioner Charles Patterson in a Sunday press conference. “There have been multiple sweeps by multiple teams.”

The Norfolk Southern train that was traveling outside the city limits of Springfield derailed when 28 cars jumped the tracks on the way to Alabama.

Initial assessments of the scene were slowed by downed power lines, Nagel said, which left 1,500 residents without power in the county on Saturday. State Route 41 was closed on Monday because the asphalt cracked.

“If there’s anything we’ve learned so far, it’s that transparency matters, encouraging facts not misinformation,” Vogel said, thanking local agencies for their swift response. We will continue to work together to get the facts out.