Ways To Help East Palestine, OH Residents

I have been so consumed by what’s happening so close to Cleveland, I wanted to do my part & help raise awareness locally. If you’re unsure of what this is about, I’ve attached some info here from The New York Times.

East Palestine, Ohio is about an hour & a half away from Cleveland (or closer depending on where in Northeast Ohio you live.) On February 3rd, a trail derailed in the village of East Palestine.

From The New York Times:

Here’s what we know.
What happened?

Around 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, a village of about 4,700 residents about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. About 50 of the train’s 150 cars ran off the tracks on its route from Madison, Ill., to Conway, Pa. The train, operated by Norfolk Southern, had been carrying chemicals and combustible materials, with vinyl chloride, a toxic flammable gas, being of most concern to investigators. A huge fire erupted from the derailment, sending thick billowing smoke into the sky and over the town. Residents on both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border were ordered to evacuate, as Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio raised alarms about a possible explosion. Local and federal officials started an investigation that involved the National Transportation Safety Board and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Has there been harm to the environment?

The derailment has sparked concerns about air, soil and water pollution. On Feb. 10, the E.P.A. said that about 20 rail cars were reported to have been carrying hazardous materials. Chemicals including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether were “known to have been and continue to be” released to the air, surface soil and surface waters, the E.P.A. said. On Feb. 12, the E.P.A., after monitoring the air, said it had not detected contaminants at “levels of concern” in and around East Palestine, although residents may still smell odors. Working with Norfolk Southern and the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, the E.P.A. had screened the air inside about 290 homes as of Feb. 13, and said it had not detected vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride, which can cause life-threatening respiratory issues. An additional 181 homes were still awaiting screening, the agency said. Fearing an explosion, the authorities held a controlled release of the toxic materials from five train car tankers on Feb. 6, and the contents were diverted to a trench and burned off.

Read the entire article HERE.

I’ve shared a few stories about this on Instagram & received many similar notions of feeling helpless. A follower sent me this Facebook group that was started by residents to share news & ways to help.

The Brightside Project & The Way Station are currently helping to provide assistance to residents of East Palestine.