EASTERN PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The president of Norfolk Southern visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Saturday amid criticism from residents and political leaders over the company’s response to the angry derailment of a freight train carrying toxic supplies early this month.
Fox Business reports that the company’s president and chief executive, Alan Shaw, told reporters Saturday that he was there “to support the community,” but declined to comment further.
Earlier in the week, Norfolk Southern representatives were absent from a public meeting attended by hundreds of people, with officials saying they were concerned about physical threats. Gov. Mike DeWine was angered by the no-show at Wednesday’s meeting and said Shaw needed to go to eastern Palestine and answer questions.
Norfolk Southern said in a statement Friday that it was “committed to coordinating the cleanup project and paying the associated costs,” saying the company wants to ensure that the residents of eastern Palestine and the natural environment “not only recover, but thrive “.
“Our company will work tirelessly every day to get East Palestine back on its feet as soon as possible,” Shaw said in the statement. “We know we will be judged by our actions, and we take that responsibility and accountability very seriously.”
Despite repeated assurances that air and water tests showed no signs of contamination, residents of the town on the Pennsylvania state line complained of persistent headaches and sore eyes, with some saying they were afraid to go home. DeWine said a media clinic opening early next week to evaluate residents and analyze their symptoms will include a team of chemical exposure experts that is deployed in eastern Ohio.
Chemicals that washed into nearby streams killed thousands of fish and a smaller amount ended up in the Ohio River. While officials said the contamination posed no threat, cities in Ohio and West Virginia that get their drinking water from the river were monitoring a slow-moving plume, and many had temporarily switched to alternate water sources.
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