Families weigh in on future after train derails in eastern Palestine, Ohio
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Atop a hill near the Pennsylvania border, where his family farm is located, Sidney Smith looked up at fiery orange skies.
As smoke filled the air, she was curious and mystified. More than anything, she feared what was to come.
A train carrying hazardous materials had derailed a quarter of a mile from the house, near the city center. And an explosion lit up the sky.
“I just thought, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,'” Smith recalled of the Feb. 3 incident.
Even then, before the extent of the damage was clear, Smith worried about what it would mean for her town, for her family, for the life she intended to build here with her fiancé.
Two months later, she is still worried.
The derailment caused no injuries that night, but some cars were carrying dangerous chemicals. A spill of these chemicals, followed by a controlled chemical burn, released toxins into the air, water and soil in and around East Palestine, Ohio.
In the weeks since the toxic derailment, residents of eastern Palestine have watched their businesses lose customers, faced backlash online for trying to get back to normal, and watched property values plummet, leaving some stuck in houses they would like to sell.
Many others wondered if it was safe to stay in their beloved village for the long term.
“It scares me to think, if I want to have kids in the next two years, am I going to make them sick by having them live here?” said Smith, who will marry her fiancé, Eric Diaz-Guy, next year.
A daily disturbance
Many in eastern Palestine are asking similar questions. The fire and smoke may have disappeared, but they have been replaced by fear and uncertainty.
The disaster has complicated daily life and decisions for everyone here, whether to stay, like Smith, or to leave, like some of his neighbors.
Smith can trace his lineage in eastern Palestine to 1918, when his ancestors purchased a farm that had been built in 1820. His great-grandfather and grandfather founded Parker Dairy, which they ran for decades. years.
In the 1980s, they left the dairy business to focus on crops and livestock. Afterwards, the house sat empty for some time until Smith’s parents returned to the farm and it became Smith’s childhood family home.
The farm and more broadly the village, that’s all she has known.
“I never thought I would be anywhere else,” Smith said of eastern Palestine. “That’s where I grew up. That’s where my ancestors grew up. And this whole town is pretty much family-friendly.”
Smith went to college to become a nurse. But after taking a few business courses, she discovered a new passion. Since she was in college, she had helped out at her mother Melissa’s candle store, 1820 Candle Co., which she opened in 2004.
Then, she gradually took on more responsibilities. When she graduated from college, she wanted to put everything she had learned to good use and go into her mother’s business. They currently run the store together and have grown the business to the point of receiving online orders from all over the country.
“I love it, it’s such unique work,” Smith said. “Few people can say ‘I make candles for a living.’ And doing it with your mom is one of the most special things ever.”
But like many other businesses in eastern Palestine, getting back to normal has been difficult. Business owners faced backlash online for reopening their stores in the aftermath of the derailment. Social media posts are often accompanied by comments accusing local businesses of being irresponsible in bringing customers to a contaminated area, even though state officials have assured the public that the water and air are safe. .
“A lot of people want to assume we’re bad guys because we want people to come here and shop,” Smith said. “It’s our livelihood. My parents invested a lot of money to be here. We wouldn’t tell our customers to come here if it wasn’t safe or if we didn’t feel personally safe.”
‘It’s not good’
In the weeks following the derailment, Smith said she felt better about staying in eastern Palestine, long-term.
“I have lots of friends and family here and I don’t want to leave them behind,” she said.
However, many other families are considering other options.
More than two-thirds of the houses in eastern Palestine are owner-occupied. Local real estate agents say the derailment has caused many problems for people trying to sell their homes. And at least one insurance company, Allstate, has stopped offering coverage to new owners.
“You burned me,” resident Jim Stewart told town hall. “We were going to sell our house. Our value has freaked out,” he added, pointing his hands down.
T. “Preacher” Ross, a resident who lives near Market Street, fears the small village will lose a lot if people pack up and leave. As a village of less than 5,000 people, eastern Palestine depends on all its small businesses and shops, he said.
“There’s a rumor going around about a ghost town, and I know it because I started it,” he said. “I’ve already assumed that if people leave and no one is waiting to come in, and the population gets too small in this town, businesses and businesses are going to be affected.
“It will become a question of who is going to be released on bail and who is not.”
Ross fears the derailment has caused a stigma that for a long time will cause travelers who can normally stop and shop while passing through eastern Palestine, to say “Oh no, this is a city toxic”, before continuing to stop elsewhere.
“That’s what creates a ghost town,” he added. “I don’t think it will end up being that bad, but it’s not good.”
“What’s best for us”
Last month, an activist team of lawyers, environmentalists and experts led by Erin Brockovich added a community advocate to their team. This lawyer, Jessica Conard, originally from eastern Palestine, has been tasked with raising awareness in the community as they continue to fight through reparations, legal and security processes.
Conard said the tight-knit community had a “connection” and mutual trust. But that trust does not extend to government and certainly does not extend to Norfolk Southern. The community feels they have been lied to throughout the process.
“When we have all these big companies and big names coming to town, it’s hard to know who to trust,” she said. “The information was not transparent.”
This mistrust has led residents into a cycle of constantly trying to distinguish fact from fiction and whether things are better or worse than they thought. While trying to make sense of all the information they receive, many also struggle to get through the day. Norfolk Southern has begun reimbursing all residents of eastern Palestine as part of the remediation efforts, but some have complained about the difficulty of the process.
One man, Peter Fiest, said he was unable to receive any refunds because he had no mail in his name at his address. He was unable to go to work as evacuations began on February 3. And months later, he failed to get compensation.
“I had a letter saying I was staying there,” Fiest said of a letter from his landlord he took to the claim center. “I can’t work. I don’t have any money right now. It’s hard.”
These daily battles are becoming a new norm. As the cleanup continues, home sales in eastern Palestine are likely to suffer for some time, Michael Stevens, chairman of the board for the Youngstown Columbiana Association of Realtors told the Canton Repository. And this lack of confidence will not go away quickly.
Smith said her worries have continually diminished over time, but she is preparing in case that changes.
“At this time, we plan to stay here, but obviously being cautious of these things that could happen and put a family at risk,” Smith said. “You are constantly thinking about what is best for us.”
USA Today
