January 1, Angry East Palestine Residents Erupt During Tense Town Hall

Residents unloaded on a railroad company official during a tense town hall in East Palestine, Ohio, voicing their concerns regarding the toxic chemical spill caused by a train derailment last month.

Norfolk Southern representative Darrell Wilson told residents the rail company was “very sorry for what happened. We feel horrible about it.”

In response, residents shouted “evacuate us” and “do the right thing.”

“Get my grandchildren out of here!” one man yelled, according to the outlet. “If you care about us, get our grandkids out.”

Wilson said that Norfolk Southern plans to fully clean up the toxic site.

“We’re going to do the right thing, we’re going to clean up the site,” the rail company representative added. “We’re going to test until we get all the contamination gone.”

Evidently, residents weren’t reassured. “No, you’re not!” someone shouted.

In the wake of the Feb. 3 train derailment, officials opted to conduct a controlled release of the chemicals — including vinyl chloride — burning them off to avoid a potential explosion.

On Thursday, the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Norfolk Southern to conduct testing for dioxins, which are toxic compounds that can cause health problems. The EPA noted that its testing had so far indicated a “low probability” that dioxins were released in this incident.

Officials from the EPA were also present at the town hall meeting. They faced questions from residents over their slow response.

“Why did you wait so long?” one man shouted at EPA regional administrator Debra Shore. Other residents also yelled out “Start now!” and “It’s too late!”

Sources: CNN | The New York Times