We came back to East Palestine to see how cleanup is going and see how residents are doing.
As a recap, there was a 50 car train derailment with 10 containing:
Vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, isobutylene, phosgene (a colorless gas used in WWI).
HCl acid mixed with concentrated unburned vinyl chloride spread every direction.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimate around 44,000 animals killed (fish and amphibians). A majority of the dead fish have been removed from the waterways.
There have been anecdotal reports of animals in and around East Palestine becoming sick or dying. Murray & Murray, a Sandusky-based law firm, filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern that claims animals and fish are dying as far as 20 miles away from the derailment site.
Recently the emergency management agency had said around 17,300 tons of excavated soil was ready for removal from East Palestine and 19,900 tons of soil had already been removed.
More than 700 tons of contaminated soil and nearly two million gallons of liquid have been collected from the derailment site with much left to clean up under the order of the Environmental Protection Agency.
So far, more than 1.8 million gallons of wastewater have been collected from the derailment site, along with 700 tons of contaminated soil, according to the latest figures from the office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
This week on April 10th a truck carrying around 40,000 pounds of contaminated overturned on a highway in Unity Township while en route.
More than 1.2 million gallons of contaminated firefighting water were sent to Texas Molecular outside of Houston. Another 320,000 gallons were sent to U.S. Ecology Romulus in Michigan, and nearly 100,000 to a facility in Vickery, Ohio. Hundreds of tons of soil were taken to a facility in Michigan. Yet more is destined for incinerators in Grafton and East Liverpool, Ohio, and a landfill in Roachdale, Ind.
Around 1,000 train derailments occurred in 2022.
Whats the POSITIVE?
THE Enviromental Protection Agency has set up an EPA Community Welcome Center so residents can come talk face to face with EPA representatives with their concerns and questions and Norfolk Southern opened an assistance center near Waterford where temporary relocation reimbursements are being done and residents can access resources and ask questions.
We are EP Strong!
See the recap here:
