‘It Was Like The Devil Was Dancing And Having A Party’: East Palestine Resident Describes Witnessing Train Derailment-Turned-Chemical Catastrophe

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Thousands of trains have passed directly behind CeramFab since the business was established in 2017, but workers never gave much thought to what came down the tracks until February 3, when a 100-car Norfolk Southern train derailed right behind the business and turned the operation — and their lives — upside down.

Employees at the 80,000-square-foot glass, ceramics, and concrete manufacturing facility, which supplies insulation materials for the steel industry, had front-row seats in the tiny eastern Ohio town of 4,700 when local and state authorities ordered a controlled burn of industrial chemicals on tanker cars. Officials said the burn was necessary to decrease the risk of an explosion, which could have sent shrapnel throughout the small town.

“It was like the devil was dancing and having a party,” Cindy Davies, the office manager, said The Daily Wire. “It was terrifying.” 

Davies watched as authorities ignited the volatile cargo, which contained up to a million lbs of vinyl chloride, known human carcinogen. The smoke billowed in a huge plume, visible throughout western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.

Davies visited the wreckage site two weeks later. There were charred tanker vehicles scattered about on both sides of the tracks.

“That was their safest option,” She recalled what authorities had explained, she said. “If they were to let the flashpoint build up pressure, then it would have exploded and caused a chain reaction. It would have done a lot more damage in the area and potentially killed somebody with the shrapnel and everything else.”

“It was the best of the worst situation I guess,” Davies was also mentioned. “I don’t know.”

The trains that pass CeramFab workers every day were barely noticed until one derailment caused a chemical disaster. (The Daily Wire).

Norfolk Southern is not only responsible for the vinyl chloride release, but also for its other initiatives. Beware The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stated that a number other dangerous chemicals were found at the scene of the derailment. An ethylene glycol monobutylether train car currently contains an “unknown status,” Norfolk Southern states that while the amount ethylhexylacrylate is still present in other cars, it is not enough to cause any harm. “pending.”

EPA officials released a list with chemicals that was also published by Norfolk Southern Railroad hazardous After residents were told that they could go back to their homes, materials were taken.

The aftermath, decision, as well as the accident are all being discussed now as one of U.S. history’s most devastating environmental disasters.

Residents, like Davies and CeramFab’s dozen employees, have been suffering physical symptoms since the fire, including headaches, sore throats, and digestive issues — not to mention the lingering taste of chemicals, which can be tasted almost instantly when close enough to ground zero.

The immediate health effects of intentional release and burning of toxic chemicals raise questions about the future of East Palestine residents as well as the future of the town. It is possible that the groundwater and soil could be polluted for miles.

“I think it won’t go back to normal for a long time because I think a lot of people will still have fears about the air quality and the water quality,” Davies stated that residents are concerned about ground contamination affecting several creeks, farms and homesteads.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine told residents not to worry about air quality. The readings of 20 monitors that are strategically placed and regularly moved around the community show that there is no significant difference in the quality of the air. DeWine stated to local media that the city’s five municipal water sources, which provide water for residents, are continuously tested. This shows that the water is safe to consume. Other 38 private wells were also reported to be safe for drinking.

However, there are some signs that things are not going right in East Palestine. Mary Mertz, director of Ohio Department of Natural Resources said at a February 14, 2009 news conference Around 3,500 fish from 12 species are available died In streams and creeks near East Palestine

Teresa McGuire is the Columbiana County Humane Society’s director. Herald-Star Over 20 families reported that their animals were affected by toxic chemicals. Some even suffered from vinyl chloride poisoning.

Residents in the small Ohio town feel confused by the message from the federal and state agencies. They are receiving mixed messages from the airwaves and social networks, indicating that the air is safe and the water is safe. But, they should remain inside and drink only bottled water.

Sen. Sherrod B. Brown (D.OH)  CNN’s “State of the Union” On Sunday, East Palestine’s water and air were declared safe. However, residents have been informed that they are not. “right to be skeptical.”

“We think the water’s safe,” Brown said. “But when you return to your home, you should be tested again for your water and your soil and your air, not to mention those that have their own wells.”

Multiple federal and state agencies insisted that water and air supplies were safe, despite multiple complaints. Not