EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (NewsNation) — Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, will learn more Tuesday about last year’s toxic Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that upended their lives.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is set to hold its final meeting at East Palestine High School to discuss why the train derailed and address the release of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. It’s also expected to address recommendations to prevent future disasters.
However, residents claim they’re losing their health and homes while Norfolk Southern faces minimal consequences.
The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET.
‘It should never have occurred’: NTSB chair
Dozens of freight cars derailed Feb. 3, 2023, on the outskirts of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border, including 11 carrying hazardous materials. Residents evacuated as fears grew about a potential explosion, and officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke into the air despite the potential health effects.
NewsNation’s chief investigative reporter Rich McHugh asked NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy if the venting and burning of tanker cars after the crash was necessary.
“That’s going to be answered (Tuesday),” Homendy said.
When asked about her biggest concern after spending a year and a half investigating the incident, Homendy said, “It should never have occurred. I said this from day one. It was 100% preventable. It was 100% preventable. It should never have occurred in the first place.”
The NTSB’s final report on the derailment is expected to be released Tuesday, following new data that shows 16 states across the country were impacted by fumes burned in the small Ohio town.
Residents still seeking answers
Homendy held a community meeting for residents Monday, where they thanked her and the NTSB for its investigation. However, they emphasized that the NTSB couldn’t help the community with some of their biggest concerns.
Residents are desperately seeking answers regarding their homes, new vinyl chloride findings in town, lack of health care access and the proposed civil class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern, with the signing deadline just a week away, among other issues.
“This is not just an East Palestine issue; you see 16 states. Not only should people be concerned because it spread to 16 states, but that it happened at all. This could have been any American’s backyard that this happened in and they’d be treating you the same way,” said East Palestine resident Jami Wallace.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Rich McHugh
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://www.newsnationnow.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.