EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — After removing 73,000 tons, Norfolk Southern has finished digging out contaminated soil at the derailment site in East Palestine. Norfolk Southern marked this as a milestone, as train traffic can return to pre-derailment schedules.
“Both tracks were running slow traffic over the weekend,” said Anne Vogel, director of Ohio EPA.
Vogel said there’s still a long way to go cleanup-wise, as the amount of soil involved has exceeded expectations. Contaminated waterways like Sulphur and Leslie runs will also continue to get "washed."
“We know that there's some contamination outside just the track area,” Vogel added. “So, we're sampling; we're scraping, we're sampling.”
In a statement sent Monday, Norfolk Southern said regular testing continues to show the air and water are safe, but one resident, Crystal Mahoning, who lives just feet from Sulphur Run, said her health continues to prove otherwise.
“I am not feeling well again,” said Mahoning. “My head is stuffy; my sinuses are all clogged. I feel it in my ears, my throat is sore, and my nose bleeds; my daughter's nose bleeds. When we were away at camp for eight days, we didn’t have any of this.”
Mahoning was brought to tears recalling the trauma she’s endured since the derailment 5 months ago.
“I went back to bed twice today,” said Mahoning. “I just don't feel good, and I have to make another doctor's appointment.”
Mahoning wants to move but has struggled to find a rental and doesn't want to pull her kids out of the school district.
“I am a mom,” said Mahoning. “You don’t want to have to do that, but you know that’s what’s right too.” There are no tentative timelines for completion.
“There's quite a lot still to go,” said Vogel.
For Mahoning, she's not seeing an end in sight.
“My kids are young; they are 11, 12 and 16,” Mahoning added. “What are the next 70 years of their lives going to look like this? What kind of long-term damage is this doing?”
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