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EAST PALESTINE -- Stay out -- that's the message being sent by East Palestine village officials trying to keep residents and others safe as they work through the train derailment that has become a national news event.
"We need to keep people away from the scene, we still have a bunch of people trying to sneak in and going around barricades. Not only are they creating a hazard for themselves but they are creating a hazard for our first responders, especially our police force trying to make sure they get out of the way," Mayor Trent Conaway said during a Saturday afternoon press conference.
Fire Chief Keith Drabick said people just need to stop and "let us handle the situation. All we want is the safety of the citizens and residents."
In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a train fire is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order in the Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below. (Melissa Smith via AP)
Many village businesses remained closed and nearly half of the village population remained under an evacuation order within a 1-mile radius of the massive train derailment scene, along with a shelter in place order.
Both the mayor and fire chief indicated they're relying on the professionals on scene from Norfolk Southern, the National Transportation Safety Board and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency on how to handle the immediate aftermath and eventual cleanup, along with assistance from county partners such as the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency and county commissioners, who declared a state of emergency shortly after the village did Saturday morning.
This drone image provided by the Columbiana County Board of Commissioners show close up views of the train cars strewn about, with some flames still visible, along with plenty of smoke. The derailment occurred on the eastbound Norfolk Southern track, which is the line to the south. Commissioner Tim Weigle estimated the distance from the center of East Palestine on Market Street as less than a mile.
As it stands, Conaway said the drinking water is safe and being monitored and Drabick said there were "zero readings of any health risks as far as anything airborne from the chemicals," according to monitoring reports from the OEPA.
Air monitoring devices were placed all around the village to take readings, including one outside village hall.
A press release received from Norfolk Southern at 5:30 p.m. Saturday said "Norfolk Southern team members are on scene, and are being assisted by multiple derailment and environmental contractors. In addition to working closely with first responders, we are coordinating with federal, state and local agencies. The NTSB is the lead agency for providing updates on the incident. We have established a Family Assistance Center to address the needs of the community and support those directly impacted. Additionally, we are supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross and their temporary community shelters through a $25,000 donation.
EMA Director Peggy Clark had released information about Norfolk Southern's plans to open the family assistance center at the East Palestine City Park Recreation Hall, 31 Park Ave., beginning at 4 p.m. and remaining open until 10 p.m. Saturday. The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday with additional dates to be announced.
Clark said the temporary shelter at East Palestine High School on West Grant Street remained open with some residents staying there. The American Red Cross was operating the shelter. She also said residents in need of additional information or help can call 211. When the incident first happened, the WENS Wireless Emergency Notification System and IPAWS were used to notify all wireless devices within a 1-mile radius of the site.
This is one of several air monitoring systems placed in locations around the village of East Palestine by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to keep tabs on the air quality. East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick said he was told there were zero readings of any health risks as far as anything airborne from the chemicals. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)
Drabick said the chemical burning was identified as vinyl chloride, but he also said the safety features of the rail car containing the chemical are operating properly. For now, nobody's going near the area until Norfolk Southern and the other professionals tell them to go in.
"We're still monitoring the situation very closely, with the EPA, Norfolk Southern, their hazmat response team and various other agencies. The area is still very dangerous," he said.
The cause of the incident remained under investigation. During the press conference, a question was asked about video showing the train on fire in the area of New Waterford before going through East Palestine, but the officials weren't aware of that and had no answer.
Conaway said any rumors about the drinking water not being safe were untrue.
"It's being tested, everything's good, you might have some discoloration because we used 200,000 gallons of our water and 200,000 gallons from the tanker shuttle," he said.
This drone image provided by the Columbiana County Board of Commissioners show close up views of the train cars strewn about, with some flames still visible, along with plenty of smoke. The derailment occurred on the eastbound Norfolk Southern track, which is the line to the south. Commissioner Tim Weigle estimated the distance from the center of East Palestine on Market Street as less than a mile.
Some runoff was detected in the streams, he noted, with contractors working for Norfolk Southern taking action to mitigate the situation and stop it from going further downstream.
The no-fly zone established by the Federal Aviation Administration remained intact, with Conaway saying they've had some problems with people flying personal drones over the area. The officials were using drones to survey the situation, including one provided through the county commissioners which was used to take close-up photos of the wreckage.
Drabick said they were keeping the fire station staffed 24/7 and at least 68 entities from three states converged on the area Friday night to assist. He said they handled the situation to the best of their ability in the safest way they could.
There was no timetable for when residents would be able to return to their homes, with Clark suggesting residents talk with the American Red Cross concerning any issues related to items they need that they can't currently access.
The officials stressed that Norfolk Southern personnel will be working one on one with the residents affected.