White House briefs community on derailment response
EAST PALESTINE — Members of the East Palestine community were invited to a Zoom meeting on Monday held by the White House Office of Public Engagement East Palestine Train Derailment.
The purpose of the meeting was to brief those who lived through and continue to live with the repercussions of last year’s rail disaster to hear from local, state and federal agency leaders as well as research and community partners and receive key health, economical and environmental updates.
“In February 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, jeopardizing the community’s safety and sense of normalcy,” a White House statement read. “Since the derailment, the Biden-Harris Administration has mobilized a comprehensive, whole-of-government response to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio, affected communities in Pennsylvania, and other impacted communities.”
President Joe Biden, who made his first trip to the village in the wake of the derailment in February, issued an Executive Order in September, directing Federal Emergency Management Agency “to designate a Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator to oversee the long-term recovery efforts in the communities affected by Norfolk Southern’s train derailment in East Palestine,” and the White House announced Jim McPherson was tabbed for the job of conducting “a comprehensive assessment of any unmet needs that are not addressed by Norfolk Southern and would qualify for Federal assistance.”
The Executive Order was in response to a request from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for a disaster declaration for East Palestine and the surrounding areas. Biden has yet to make such a declaration.
While the briefing, which focused on community engagement, was closed to the press, a presentation by East Palestine resident Misti Allison that was included in the meeting was made available onYouTube. Allison, who testified at Senate hearings related to the derailment and has stepped forward as a community advocate in the wake of the rail disaster, used her time to describe what the community has faced, and to call on the White House to do what it promised.
“Many communities have recovered from disasters and I am confident that East Palestine can too, but we need all the help we can get,” she said. “This disaster and the fear of the unknown still keeps many of us up at night. When Biden visited East Palestine in February he said his administration continues to hold Norfolk Southern accountable and will make sure they make our community whole now and in the future, and what Norfolk Southern does make whole, the government will.”
Allison called on the Biden administration to consider the potential health impacts presidents and first responders face and the need for more environmental testing, particularly for private wells. She also said the residents who want to relocate should be given the means to do so and criticized last week’s $600 million settlement between the railroad and residents.
“The current class-action lawsuit settlement that was announced last week, gets Norfolk Southern off the hook for future healthcare outcomes and that is not making it right,” she said. “We need a proactive plan for our health, not a reactive one.”