Residents urged to stay away as crews continue to survey East Palestine train wreckage
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (KDKA) - It has been almost three full days since a train carrying hazardous materials derailed here in the village of East Palestine, Ohio.
This small community of around 5,000 people is shaken and on edge as the mayor and other local officials urge residents to abide by village declarations and for visitors to stay away.
At a press conference, Sunday afternoon in East Palestine, mayor Trent Conaway urged his community to help officials battling a massive train derailment and chemical fire to stay put or stay away.
"This morning, the sheriffs went door to door to get a count of the residents who stayed. I can't stress enough that if you are in the evacuation zone, you need to leave. It could be a dangerous situation; I don't want to see any of our residents get hurt."
Crews from Norfolk Southern and the NTSB are on scene working in East Palestine, Ohio. Several neighbors we spoke with are stressed, nervous and scared about this disaster. More information will be coming at a noon press conference. We will have the latest @KDKA pic.twitter.com/ZXrELzgtKQ
— Christopher DeRose (@ChrisDeRoseTV) February 5, 2023
This comes after multiple community members have been clogging village roads and taking it upon themselves to try and see the 50-car train derailment and chemical fire that is still smoldering from when it started Friday night.
KDKA spoke with several residents that were sheltering in place in the evacuation zone, and they said that officials knocked on their doors this morning and told them to get out.
"Well, lucky for us, unlike half of East Palestine who's a lot worse off than us, we are going to a hotel about 20 minutes in Chippewa," East Palestine resident Carly Meckler said.
And while many have left town, officials reiterated that the EPA is still measuring air quality, as well as drinking water, and that both are currently still safe in the village.
It is important to note, however, that the Ohio EPA did say that some contaminated runoff from this chemical spill did make it into local streams and rivers before they started their containment, but until further testing is done, they do not know just how much went into the local ground water.
On Monday morning, all village offices will be closed along with local schools.
And again, the situation in East Palestine, especially around the wreckage of this train, is dangerous.
Locals are asked to stay away and, if not in the evacuation zone, to stay home.