After skipping town hall meeting, Norfolk Southern writes letter to East Palestine

After skipping the town hall meeting in East Palestine on Wednesday night, Norfolk Southern wrote a letter to the city expressing its support.

CEO Alan Shaw wrote, “I hear you. We hear you,” in reference to the community’s worries about their health. “My simple answer is that we are here and will stay here as long as it takes to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and thrive,” he wrote.

The letter says Norfolk Southern has provided a number of resources such as the Family Assistance Center, comprehensive water, air and soil testing, and a $1 million “community support fund” as a baseline payment to rebuild.

Norfolk Southerninitially provided a $25,000 donation through the Red Cross on Feb. 5, then pledged $1 million on Feb. 14, and has since increased the financial assistance program to $2.5 million.

Those still needing assistance with evacuation-related expenses are encouraged to call 1-800-230-7049.

To see the entire Norfolk Southern letter to East Palestine, click here.

CLICK HERE to read more of News 5's extensive coverage of the East Palestine train derailment.

Watch live and local news any time:

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.