Key takeaways:
- Evacuation order was issued as a precautionary measure and lifted when air and water samples determined the area was safe.
- No injuries were reported, and no hazardous materials were released into the environment.
- Norfolk Southern is working with the EPA to clean up the site.
Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, were given the all-clear to return home Wednesday evening, five days after a 50-car train derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and released toxic chemicals into the air.
The evacuation order was issued as a precautionary measure, and around-the-clock testing inside and outside the evacuation zone showed the air had returned to normal levels that would have been seen before the derailment, said James Justice of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick said that air and water samples determined that the evacuation area, which covered about a one-mile radius, was safe for residents.
“The evacuation order has been lifted, if you were asked to evacuate your residence due to the incident in East Palestine, you are permitted to return home,” Drabick said.
The cause of the derailment is still under investigation. No injuries were reported, and no hazardous materials were released into the environment. Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the train, is working with the EPA to clean up the site.
Be First to Comment