Resident: East Palestine needs action, not reassurance

(NewsNation) — One year after a train derailment resulted in a controlled explosion that contaminated the air, water and soil in East Palestine, Ohio, some residents still fear it’s not safe to return home.

Jami Wallace told NewsNation she never intended to become an activist, but that’s what’s happened in the year since a Norfolk Southern train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed.

“I’m just a mother who refused to let her child go into a house that I knew wasn’t safe,” she said.

Wallace said President Joe Biden’s visit to the town needs to come with concrete action, not just reassurances East Palestine is safe.

“If he’s just coming here today to tell us that our needs are met, then we don’t need him here,” Wallace said.

NewsNation has been committed to investigating the fallout of the East Palestine train derailment over the last year. Here are the most recent updates:

Wallace noted that residents are still concerned about contamination in local creeks, in the soil and about a lack of available testing and health monitoring for residents.

“What I’d like to see today is Biden to say, ‘You know what, we’re going to test all of your homes; if you don’t feel safe, test your soil,'” she said. “‘We’re going to make sure that your creeks are clean, we’re going to give you long-term health monitoring, we’re going to give you Medicare for all that includes seeing a toxicologist.’ We still don’t even have access to a toxicologist. It’s the same questions for over a year.”

Wallace pointed to a rainbow sheen seen on local creeks, noting that they might appear safe if only the water on top was tested, but once sediment is stirred up, she said chemical contamination is obvious.

“They should have had those creeks cleaned a year ago. They’re just now getting a plan together to clean the creeks,” Wallace said.

She pushed back on the Environmental Protection Agency saying chemicals found in area water were there before the derailment. As for reassurances from leaders that it’s safe for the town to go back to normal, Wallace had an offer for Biden.

“That’s what I say to President Biden, come see Jami Wallace,” she said. “I’ll take you down to the creeks, and I’ll show you the contamination. Unless he doesn’t think it’s safe.”