This is so sad. The DEP and other departments have got to start listening the the people. The people know better than the DEP what is happening to their bodies. I still don't trust the DEP in Maine and it has been three years.
Be it toxins or radiation, this is Fukushima level danger from carcinogenic toxins that are most certainly and persistently in the air, soil & water. Fukushima was relocated for the same reasons E. Palestine residents should be offered temp or if needed permanent relocation. Toxic exposure should not be an acceptable price to pay to live in modern society. Clearly the agencies that responded were and are insufficiently organized and/or funded to properly manage this situation and do all that is needed to protect the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities. How can we get these residents all the help they need and deserve right now if the government and Norfolk Southern won't do enough? Our system is broken and until we demand that it is fixed, we are not apt to see our government force Norfolk Southern to take the complete and immediate steps it needs to fully address this. Our government and Norfolk Southern don't deserve in any way to be off the hook - but it doesn't seem there is a way to force them to be fully accountable soon enough to help this community whose residents are in danger now. Yet, it remains that the humanitarian thing to do is to provide the affected communities with the urgent help they need which might need to include immediate relocation and safe food and water supplies. Could big nonprofits unite with philanthropists in the private sector to combine forces to help? Can our well-funded military help? Make no mistake, as we well know, industry has often counted on health issues from the toxins they produce to manifest in the future and be difficult to trace back to any particular incident such as this. And then, as in the film Dark Waters regarding the DuPont debacle with PFOA's, count on their lawyers to fight claims for them to be accountable. Government officials may also depend on the same to kick this can down the road strategy as to not fully address these types of catastrophes with the urgency they require. To the people in this community, this is Fukushima level danger from health threatening toxins that are most certainly and persistently in the air, soil and water. Whether it is radiation as in Fukushima, or toxins from this type of catastrophe, the outcome is the same – lives are endangered and it is a moral imperative to protect them in every way possible. Let's do all we can to rally the support this community that it needs and fix a broken system that has heretofore insufficiently responded to the task.
I know that the Trump Administration effectively gutted the EPA's capacity, but this just smacks of incompetence at best and corporate corruption at worst.
On the point on latency impact of chemicals, are there any legal measures for compensation decades after the event? I get the sense that if/when compensation is claimed early through the courts, before the true impact is known, it would be very difficult for the residents to then go back and ask for more compensation at a later date.
Why can't the officials be honest??If we know the problems,we can work on fixing them.I hope they know we will find out.Politics and Honesty apparently don't mix well.Stop lying to us!!
The cover up by Norfolk on Feb 3, 2023 until they were caught days after the burn was sickening. I’m not so sure Dewine was not in on it and the local mayor for calling in Trump to exploit the town with this story. Norfolk did not make the appropriate calls within minutes of the accident, which would have brought fema In immediately. The first night responders from a 15 to 60 years old volunteer firefighters were all exposed to toxic chemicals that night. Whomever took the call from my community that night may pay with their life. I also heard, but I cannot verify if it’s true, they had to sign a waiver they would not sue Norfolk County or they could not leave that night.
This is so sad. The DEP and other departments have got to start listening the the people. The people know better than the DEP what is happening to their bodies. I still don't trust the DEP in Maine and it has been three years.
Be it toxins or radiation, this is Fukushima level danger from carcinogenic toxins that are most certainly and persistently in the air, soil & water. Fukushima was relocated for the same reasons E. Palestine residents should be offered temp or if needed permanent relocation. Toxic exposure should not be an acceptable price to pay to live in modern society. Clearly the agencies that responded were and are insufficiently organized and/or funded to properly manage this situation and do all that is needed to protect the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities. How can we get these residents all the help they need and deserve right now if the government and Norfolk Southern won't do enough? Our system is broken and until we demand that it is fixed, we are not apt to see our government force Norfolk Southern to take the complete and immediate steps it needs to fully address this. Our government and Norfolk Southern don't deserve in any way to be off the hook - but it doesn't seem there is a way to force them to be fully accountable soon enough to help this community whose residents are in danger now. Yet, it remains that the humanitarian thing to do is to provide the affected communities with the urgent help they need which might need to include immediate relocation and safe food and water supplies. Could big nonprofits unite with philanthropists in the private sector to combine forces to help? Can our well-funded military help? Make no mistake, as we well know, industry has often counted on health issues from the toxins they produce to manifest in the future and be difficult to trace back to any particular incident such as this. And then, as in the film Dark Waters regarding the DuPont debacle with PFOA's, count on their lawyers to fight claims for them to be accountable. Government officials may also depend on the same to kick this can down the road strategy as to not fully address these types of catastrophes with the urgency they require. To the people in this community, this is Fukushima level danger from health threatening toxins that are most certainly and persistently in the air, soil and water. Whether it is radiation as in Fukushima, or toxins from this type of catastrophe, the outcome is the same – lives are endangered and it is a moral imperative to protect them in every way possible. Let's do all we can to rally the support this community that it needs and fix a broken system that has heretofore insufficiently responded to the task.
It's absolutely astounding that the EPA put Norfolk Southern in charge of the testing. They then farmed it off to CTEH, who were originally set up for tobacco companies to avoid litigation (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/11/norfolk-southern-air-testing-cteh-ohio-train-derailment).
I know that the Trump Administration effectively gutted the EPA's capacity, but this just smacks of incompetence at best and corporate corruption at worst.
On the point on latency impact of chemicals, are there any legal measures for compensation decades after the event? I get the sense that if/when compensation is claimed early through the courts, before the true impact is known, it would be very difficult for the residents to then go back and ask for more compensation at a later date.
Why can't the officials be honest??If we know the problems,we can work on fixing them.I hope they know we will find out.Politics and Honesty apparently don't mix well.Stop lying to us!!
The cover up by Norfolk on Feb 3, 2023 until they were caught days after the burn was sickening. I’m not so sure Dewine was not in on it and the local mayor for calling in Trump to exploit the town with this story. Norfolk did not make the appropriate calls within minutes of the accident, which would have brought fema In immediately. The first night responders from a 15 to 60 years old volunteer firefighters were all exposed to toxic chemicals that night. Whomever took the call from my community that night may pay with their life. I also heard, but I cannot verify if it’s true, they had to sign a waiver they would not sue Norfolk County or they could not leave that night.