A year after the derailment, some East Palestine, Ohio, residents believe the worst has passed

Larry Berdine hasn’t stopped coughing since a Norfolk Southern train hauling toxic chemicals derailed a year ago in East Palestine, Ohio, 4½ miles from his home.

“It’s been a solid year, and I have no idea [what’s causing it],” said Berdine, who three days after the fiery Feb. 3, 2023, crash watched a massive plume of black smoke go over his home when emergency workers burned off cancer-causing vinyl chloride in tank cars to prevent an explosion.

“I was sitting in my living room and saw the smoke,” the 77-year-old retired trucker said. “I could look right out my picture window and see the sky turn black. It rolled right over the trees.”

As the anniversary of the derailment approaches, some believe the worst has passed, while others worry about what lies ahead. Some say the disaster has left the town divided, while others believe the town is better off.

Since the derailment, Norfolk Southern has committed $103 million to East Palestine and the surrounding communities. The village of nearly 4,800 received $25 million to improve its park and another $4.3 million to upgrade its water system with new technology, infrastructure and a carbon filtration system. Another $9 million has been set aside for local first responders and $25 million to fund a regional safety training center for first responders. That center will be located in East Palestine.

In October, Norfolk Southern announced it had removed 167,000 tons of soil from the derailment zone and sampled more than 1,000 water wells. Authorities continue to test air and water wells in the area.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the derailment was likely caused by an overheated bearing on a rail car. A sensor triggered an alarm about that bearing, but the crew didn’t have time to stop the train before cars loaded with hazardous chemicals began to careen off the tracks.

Chad Edwards, the village manager for East Palestine since Nov. 1, said as a newcomer, he believes “things are OK.”

“I am not concerned for my safety, based on the test results I have seen,” Edwards said. “I do trust the EPA and regulatory agencies because I have to deal with them. I know they don’t let things slide.

“I do not want to make light of people who have concerns,” he added. “I try to remain sensitive.”

Edwards doesn’t believe residents are leaving East Palestine due to the derailment.

“There’s not an overabundance of housing,” he said. “I think in talking with people who work in the real estate field, they’ve said things are slower now due to high interest rates.”

Chris Neifer, superintendent for East Palestine City School District, said enrollment has remained stable since the derailment. Realtor Dave Posey with Century 21 in nearby Columbiana, Ohio, said immediately after the derailment, some East Palestine residents left.

“I know there’s a Realtor from my company who lives there,” Posey said. “She sold a lot of homes. I don’t see any real negatives as far as the community itself.

“I feel Norfolk Southern is making it better than it’s ever been with money donated and the stuff they are doing,” he added. “I think it will be a more desirable area. They’re enhancing the park and funded sports and the school. There’s always a positive out of the negative. I think this one will outweigh [the negative].”

During a recent conversation with the media, Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Officer Alan Shaw said the railroad has implemented a value assistance program to compensate homeowners for any diminished value.

Residents in a designated area who have sold their homes since the derailment, have their homes on the market or plan to sell their homes are eligible to be compensated for any difference between their home’s market value and its sale price. Shaw said it was his understanding that 72 properties have been sold since the derailment, and nine of those sales have utilized the program.

Jami Wallace, founder and president of Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment, said the disaster has destroyed the community. Wallace said she also feels like she’s living in the horror science-fiction TV drama “The Twilight Zone.”

“Right now the community is so divided,” said Wallace, who grew up in East Palestine and moved from her rental home to East Liverpool, Ohio, less than two weeks after the derailment. The 46-year-old along with her husband and 4-year-old daughter lived within a mile from the crash site.

“Norfolk Southern is giving all the money to the community,” Wallace said. “The business owners don’t want the human health issues to be exposed, so they are focused on economic recovery. [Some are saying] this ‘is the best thing that happened to East Palestine.’

“They’ve been promised a big booming city,” she continued. “The little ma and pa shops will become big prospering businesses, but what does that matter if our kids are dead?”

Not a whole lot has changed for Robert Crowl since the derailment. The 82-year-old lifelong East Palestine resident has an extra $2,000 in his pocket, which he called inconvenience money from Norfolk Southern. He received another $1,000 to clean the duct work in his home, something that was overdue.

On oxygen for 23 years due to emphysema, Crowl doesn’t believe the controlled burn of the vinyl chloride from the five rail cars after the derailment has worsened his illness.

He does, however, have one concern.

“What I worry about is the future of the younger kids,” said Crowl, a retired maintenance worker for the East Palestine City School District. “At my age [I’m not worried for myself].”

He said he doesn’t know of anyone diagnosed with an illness due to the derailment or anyone who has left town.

“I don’t think things are back to normal, but it’s getting there,” he said. “I like the community and the people in it. Everybody is friendly. If you have trouble, I can always count on a neighbor.”

The freight train derailed about ¼ mile west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line. Of the 150 train cars, about 50 were affected, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Twenty of those cars contained hazardous material. Some spilled their loads into a ditch that feeds Sulphur Run, a stream that joins Leslie Run, which eventually empties into the Ohio River.

According to a Jan. 10 newsletter from the EPA, stream assessments in Sulphur and Leslie runs show different levels of oily sheen found when sediments are disturbed. Over the past few months, crews assessed both impacted downstream and unaffected upstream areas.

A total of 821 locations were assessed. In Leslie Run, 59% of observed areas had some sheen compared to 66% in Sulphur Run. In background areas, such as unaffected upstream areas, 92% of observed areas had no sheen.

Some of the sheen and associated sediments were sampled to determine their chemical makeup. Preliminary results of that sampling are undergoing review to guide planning for additional cleanup.

Donna Smith, a caregiver who has lived in East Palestine for 50 years, said the derailment has left folks with health concerns. Smith lives about 3 miles from the crash site and paid to have her water and soil tested.

“I didn’t ask Norfolk Southern to pay for it. I felt they had enough to do,” the 82-year-old said.

She’s been disappointed in residents who apparently tried to scam the railroad for money and believes a lot of people moved away.

“There’s a lot of empty homes,” Smith said. “I have a feeling it will be a long time before people move here.”

The rail company reported it has paid a total of $21 million directly to residents. Fewer than 40 households are currently receiving temporary location assistance, Norfolk Southern reported last week. Most residents who used the aid have returned to their homes, the company said. This assistance will end Feb. 9. Residents were notified by telephone, U.S. mail and, when possible, by email.

For John Cannell, who lives 3 miles from East Palestine, the closing of roads after the derailment was an inconvenience.

“They closed the roads for no reason,” the 84-year-old Lordstown retiree said. “They closed the road into Pennsylvania for six months.”

Scott Dodge, manager of the Sparkle Market in East Palestine, believes the community is rebounding.

“I think our town has pulled together and they are recovering,” Dodge said.

The derailment forced the closing of the town’s only full-service grocery store for four days. The customer count was down at first but bounced back.

“They’ve done a lot of different things [to stimulate the economy],” he said. “The Chamber of Commerce had a Snowflake Festival, and that seemed like it helped out.”

Norfolk Southern has purchased a former Chevrolet auto dealership on Market Street, which is being converted to a company field office. Interior demolition work began in December. Norfolk Southern is also donating its historic train depot to the town and is restoring and upgrading the facility. The interior is being converted to a “blank space so the community can shape future development,” according to a Norfolk Southern statement.

Work is expected to be finished sometime this summer.

Meanwhile, news reports this week say that President Joe Biden will visit East Palestine this month.

This story is part of collaborative coverage of East Palestine by the Pittsburgh Union Progress and the New Castle News, funded in part by a grant from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.