OHIO’S EAST PALESTINE — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued an emergency evacuation order for individuals still in the area of a train derailment in East Palatine on Sunday.
“Residents residing within a mile of the train derailment site who have not yet evacuated are urged to do so immediately due to the possibility of a massive explosion,” Gov. DeWine warned.
Officials claimed a severe temperature shift occurred in a rail car over the last two hours, and there is now the possibility of a “catastrophic tanker failure, which could create an explosion with the threat of deadly shrapnel traveling up to a mile.”
Around 8 p.m. Sunday, Governor DeWine activated the Ohio National Guard to aid local authorities on the scene.
Officials added that crews are working to prevent an explosion, but that residents should leave the area immediately.
While most residents have already been evacuated within a one-mile radius of the incident, local officials say more than 500 people have refused to leave their houses at this time.
Drone video shows train accident, fire in East Palestine, Ohio
On Sunday, officials continued to assess the environmental impact of Friday’s derailed train carrying dangerous chemicals. The crash, which resulted in a big conflagration that is still burning, evacuations, a shelter-in-place order, and air quality concerns.
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told locals that the air and drinking water are safe following the Norfolk Southern train tragedy. He stated that lessons in East Palestine schools and city council meetings would be canceled on Monday.
According to earlier statements by officials, the train derailed in East Palestine, some 15 miles south of Youngstown, on Friday evening. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the event, around 20 of the more than 100 cars were transporting hazardous chemicals.
The NTSB said in a statement Saturday that ten of the trains derailed, including five containing vinyl chloride. So far, the EPA has “not established vinyl chloride has been leaked other than from pressure release mechanisms.”
While air and water quality remained stable on Sunday, with no excessive levels detected in screenings, “things may change at any minute,” said James Justice, an on-scene coordinator with the EPA’s Emergency Response.
Authorities are still looking for a “large list” of compounds, he said, including those disclosed to authorities in a list from Norfolk Southern as well as others that can be produced by combustion.
A shelter-in-place order was issued for the entire town of around 5,000 inhabitants, and an evacuation order was issued for the region within a mile of the railway disaster near James Street.
Both limitations remained in effect on Sunday, according to Conaway, who spoke at a press conference. At the news conference, Fire Chief Keith Drabkick told reporters that the site was still hazardous, prohibiting authorities from conducting on-scene activities. Crews will not be able to determine the full list of chemicals used until the fires are out, according to Drabkick.
Residents were advised to shelter in place by officials. According to the mayor, one individual was arrested for misconduct on Saturday evening after approaching the scene and getting too close to the train.
“Please remain at home. I can’t stress this enough: “Conaway explained. “Do not visit our village.”
According to a representative for the Ohio EPA, the agency is monitoring water quality in local streams that eventually run into the Ohio River, but the agency does not anticipate contamination of East Palestine’s public water system, which draws from other sources.
The government built containment dams in nearby streams and established three aeration sites with high-volume pumps to cleanse water and remove dissolved toxins.
