Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published February 3, 2024 6:07 P.M.
(East Palestine, OH) A year after a Norfolk Southern train hauling hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, the town and nearby communities are still feeling the effects. On an unseasonably warm Saturday, residents gathered for a commemoration and commitment ceremony hosted by activist group We Refuse To Die.
The event featured music, prayer, and a ritual of remembrance to the derailment and was officiated by Marcia Dinkins of the Black Appalachian Coalition of Ohio and Beka Economopoulos of The Natural History Museum in Washington. Community members from Ohio and Pennsylvania gave testimonies of their experiences, in addition to testimonies from other frontline community members where disasters have occurred including California, Missouri, Louisiana and West Virginia.
Following the ceremony, a monument was installed outside of a local family home. A procession of a masked group carried a carved post of a deer head into the yard of Daren and Stella Grimble, mounting it to face the site of the derailment.
Following the event, Beaver County Radio had the opportunity to speak with a Beaver County resident who says she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to return home.
Hilary Flint of Enon Valley has been living in western New York since shortly after the derailment, and she says she experienced effects to her health. Flint says her home became overtaken by a strong smell after the controlled explosion of tankers. She says because she lived farther out than the one by two-mile radius, no one was willing to help including the EPA. A month after the derailment, she was able to get independent testing done by Wayne State University, who found evidence of vinyl chloride and other chemicals the train was hauling on her property. She noted that her water was fine, but dioxins were found in her soil and ethylhexyl acrylate was detected in an air purifier inside her home.
She said “The EPA has seen the data, I’ve taken it to Senators Fetterman, Casey, Representatives”, “I went to Columbus, Harrisburg to DC, everyone’s seen it.” She says they all tell her the levels aren’t considered high enough to be a harm to health.
Flint had to take a new job and she is currently renting her home in New York. She states that anytime she returns to her home in Enon Valley, she experiences nose bleeds within a day or two. She says Norfolk Southern reimbursed her for some time in a hotel but otherwise isn’t a part of their relocation program. She thinks Pennsylvania and Beaver County were behind on being prepared for a situation like this, noting an example that emergency alerts weren’t sent to residents. Flint is a part of and helps lead multiple local organization efforts in response to the derailment.
She would like to see a disaster declaration declared, citing more recourses such as health care could be provided if President Joe Biden would sign a declaration into order. Under the affordable care act, communities that have experienced toxic harm can receive Medicare for life.
Beaver County Radio visited a stream on the outskirts of East Palestine and saw a clearly visible sheen of chemical matter in the water. Clean up and restoration efforts are still underway at the derailment site. The site is heavily guarded by security and Beaver County Radio was stopped when making an attempt to photograph the area, being told by security that no photography of the site is allowed.
Efforts are still ongoing by elected officials for rail safety reform and various issues amongst the cloud of events that took place in East Palestine. President Joe Biden says he is going to visit the town in February but has not yet confirmed when. Norfolk Southern has made promises to “make things right” in the community, and in 2023 they funded things such as a carnival as well as a fireworks display.
During Beaver County Radio’s anniversary visit to East Palestine, one Norfolk Southern train was seen roaring through town.
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