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Rep. Bill Johnson visits East Palestine after derailment disaster

Abundant Life Fellowship Senior Pastor Jeff Schoch explained to U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, how the New Waterford church on State Route 46 opened its doors for the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center where residents affected by the East Palestine train derailment can go for help. (Photo Provided)

EAST PALESTINE — U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson put on a hard hat and orange vest to tour the site of the recent East Palestine train derailment Monday, saying he’s not afraid to take congressional action if there’s something that can prevent something like this from happening again.

Johnson, R-Ohio, was accompanied by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and Fire Chief Keith Drabick, along with Columbiana County Commissioner Tim Weigle, and county Emergency Management Agency Director Peggy Clark and EMA Deputy Director Brian Rutledge.

“Wow,” was his initial reaction, noting that he saw the news and saw the reports and followed it all.

“What a massive operation that they’ve got going on there,” he said regarding Norfolk Southern’s cleanup efforts.

Johnson was grateful to the first responders and local officials and noted there were no buildings damaged or loss of life.

From left, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick answered questions from the media at the East Palestine Fire Department. (Photo Provided)

“I think we got away with one here, what could have been a very devastating situation. And obviously we have a long way to go,” he said.

Johnson said he’s heard stories that there weren’t enough detectors, or the problem wasn’t detected at the right time or that maintenance on the axles or inspections of the axles might be an issue, but that’s all speculation at this point on the part of some folks.

“We’ve got to look at this and let the investigation take its course and find out what this problem was,” he said.

He doesn’t want to ever see something like this happen again.

He has been on the phone with Norfolk Southern, but said they had not talked about the issue with equipment needs for fire departments who responded. When asked what would be needed to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency involved, he said that would be up to the governor to declare a state of emergency. Johnson said nobody had asked him to reach out to FEMA, but if FEMA does get involved, he can engage with them.

From left, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, got a close-up view Monday of the area where an eastbound Norfolk Southern train derailed the night of Feb. 3 in East Palestine behind Ceram-Fab, while accompanied by East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick and Mayor Trent Conaway. A moving train can be seen in the background. Immediately after it was announced the evacuation was lifted Thursday, trains started running again. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson’s office)

He didn’t come to East Palestine until Monday in person, but said he’s been on the phone from the beginning with everybody involved, the mayor, the commissioners, EMA, governor, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. EPA and Norfolk Southern. He said there are very detailed steps the agencies must go through for the air monitoring, water testing and leeching.

Conaway stressed that the village water is safe to drink and has been tested and retested. Both he and Johnson said there’s still a long way to go and that it’s definitely day-by-day.

Conaway said the town is slowly starting to come back to normal but he’s not sure it will ever be the same. The well water downstream could be affected and is being tested.

“We just ask people to be patient,” Conaway said.

Before Johnson arrived, firefighters were being measured for new turnout gear. Drabick said the company Morning Pride was taking good care of them and estimated the new turnout gear could come somewhere between 30 to 60 days, but a lot of the other area departments are in the same situation since everybody responded to the derailment and fire, making the turnout gear and some equipment no longer usable due to the chemicals.

“We’re doing okay for now,” he said.

New Waterford Mayor Shane Patrone said his estimate for turnout gear, hoses and equipment for his fire department is $180,000. He said that doesn’t include overtime or if there’s any damage to the trucks. They’re also looking out for the health of their firefighters and plan to get blood tests for them.

“We’re just trying to be safe with them,” he said.

For the trucks, he said the manufacturer can’t guarantee one way or the other about possible damage. Patrone said he’s meeting with the village’s insurance company this week. The trucks are going to be inspected by a company in Mahoning County to see if there’s any damage.

On the water front, Columbiana County Health District spokesperson Laura Fauss said Monday the department had no results yet on the testing of water wells done so far. The health district is partnering with the the Ohio EPA and Norfolk Southern on the testing.

“We’ve been working on ground water system plans,” she said.

Anyone with a ground water well in the vicinity of East Palestine who wants to have the free test can call 330-849-3919 to schedule an appointment. That’s also the phone number to call for free in-home air testing.

OEPA officials said during recent press conferences that chemicals did get into the local waterway and work had been done to try to stop the progression of the contamination, but admitted that some fish did die as a result.

During a visit at the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center, Johnson spoke with Norfolk Southern officials and with Abundant Life Fellowship Church Senior Pastor Jeff Schoch about what they’re doing to try to help the East Palestine residents who were displaced during the evacuation.

Johnson said he appreciated the pastor opening up the church and that Norfolk Southern was trying to help families get their needs met.

East Palestine resident Scott McAleer, who resides on Alice Street, left with what he was told would be his final check in hand, but said he’s not happy with Norfolk Southern’s way of thinking, since he still doesn’t have some of his bills. He said he wants to get his soil tested, too, and has a lawyer.

“Lot of stress,” McAleer said in describing how he’s felt since he first heard the train derail less than a block from his house.

He stayed in the home he shares with his fiancee and her two developmentally disabled children, who are both adults, on Friday and Saturday, but then they were told to get out Sunday, so they went to a hotel in Boardman.

Schoch said he’s told Norfolk Southern to stay as long as they need the space, with the church helping direct people and provide some snacks.

On the media website, Norfolk Southern Corporation provided an update Monday on its assistance efforts, including direct support for residents through the family assistance center, equipment for first responders, and continued environmental testing and monitoring, which is being done in coordination with the Ohio EPA and U.S. EPA. East Palestine residents can call 1-800-230-7049 for the family assistance center.

“To date, more than 700 families and a number of businesses have been helped. In total, more than $1 million has been distributed directly to families to cover costs related to the evacuation. Those include reimbursements and cash advancements for lodging, travel, food, clothes, and other related items. Norfolk Southern is in the process of contacting and meeting with affected local businesses to provide aid. To date, more than 30 businesses have been contacted,” the release said.

Assistance to the local community has included:

¯ A donation of $220,000 to the East Palestine Fire Department to replace Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) air packs.

¯ More than 100 air purifiers for residents to use in their homes and air purifiers were being purchased for the East Palestine municipal building.

¯ Coordinated and funded cleaning and air monitoring services for the East Palestine Elementary and High Schools.

¯ Developing a charitable fund to support the East Palestine community.

¯ An initial donation of $25,000 to the American Red Cross to support the shelter at East Palestine High School.

According to the Norfolk Southern press release, more than 340 in-home air tests had been done, with more than 100 additional tests scheduled. In-home air monitoring had not shown any detections of substances related to the incident and does not indicate a health risk. Thousands of data points have been collected during outdoor air monitoring in the community and continue to indicate no risk to health from incident-related substances.

City officials have continued to stress that the East Palestine water supply is safe to drink.

Norfolk Southern has also started excavating soil from the incident site and sampling the soil before safe disposal. Residents with further questions or concerns, besides the number of air monitoring and testing or water well testing can call the CTEH Taggart Road Hotline at 234-542-6474 to speak with a toxicologist.

In a statement released Monday, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said, “Like every Ohioan, I’m horrified by the Norfolk Southern train crash in East Palestine and the images we’ve seen coming from Northeast Ohio. One week ago, local and state officials determined that to avoid a catastrophic explosion a controlled release of vinyl chloride would take place. This release is the source of the frightening plumes of black smoke that have made their way around social media. While those plumes of smoke are now gone, many questions remain.

“Is the air and water safe for residents? So far, we have been told that air and drinking water tests performed by the state and federal Environmental Protection Agencies, the Ohio National Guard, and Norfolk Southern have been encouraging. We continue to monitor environmental reports from multiple agencies about the quality of the air and water in the region. I have heard alarming anecdotes about contaminated waterways and effects on wildlife. I encourage anyone with credible reports of environmental harms to contact my office. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with the relevant agencies and monitor the situation in the region,” Vance said in the statement.

“What are the needs of people on the ground? My office has been in constant contact with local officials, residents, and the governor’s office since the accident took place. The local fire department has borne the brunt of this catastrophe, and they need resources from FEMA to decontaminate equipment and ensure they continue to operate. These firefighters deserve our gratitude for their heroism; they also deserve equipment they need for their jobs. My office will continue to work with FEMA to ensure these firefighters get what they need. Local officials have also consistently encouraged me to ensure appropriate environmental testing continues. I am focused on that as well. My office will continue to engage with people on the ground, and deal with issues as they arise,” Vance said.

“Why did this happen? After the cleanup and safety of everyone is ensured, we will turn our attention to how to prevent this in the future. Many questions remain unanswered about the quality of the braking system used, the durability of the repair parts in the trains, and the Transportation Department’s regulatory approach to our nation’s rail system. Aside from this incident, there is a troubling trend of catastrophic infrastructure problems in our country, and more than a few reports of sabotage. My office will be investigating these concerns in the weeks to come,” he said.

The statement by Vance said “I am dedicated to ensuring that the relevant authorities do not use tests conducted as a permission slip to pack up and go home. This is a complex environmental disaster with impacts that may be difficult to assess in the short term. Long-term study will be imperative. As will long-term commitment to remediation by Norfolk Southern for the property damaged, the wildlife disrupted, and the community scarred by this accident. As always, my office stands ready to aid constituents facing pressing needs in the wake of this disaster. We can be reached at 202-224-3353.”

Mary Ann Greier is a reporter for Mojo News, mgreier@mojonews.com

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