EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – After President Biden made remarks and visited the Ohio train derailment site Friday, he made an unexpected stop at 1820 Candle Company in downtown East Palestine.
“There were some hints at the fact that he might make a stop earlier in the week, but there was no guarantee,” said Melissa Smith, owner of 1820 Candle Company. “Then, it was kind of a whirlwind situation of, you know, this happening,” she said.
Inside, President Biden sat down with people, had some coffee and a doughnut, and answered questions.
“He even served doughnuts to some of the guests, which was kind of fun,” she said.
Photo of the Norfolk Southern train derailment aftermath in East Palestine, Ohio, provided by Ashley McCullom. 
FILE – This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio, are still on fire on Feb. 4, 2023. The major freight railroads all promised safety improvements after the fiery derailment in eastern Ohio one year ago, but they have yet to make a meaningful improvement in the safety statistics and efforts to reform the industry have stalled in Congress. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
FILE – Norfolk Southern locomotives are moved in Norfolk Southern’s Conway Terminal, June 17, 2023, in Conway, Pa. Norfolk Southern has installed the first of what will be more than a dozen automated inspection portals on its tracks in Ohio — not far from where one of its trains derailed in February and spilled hazardous chemicals that caught fire. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
FILE – Emergency responders remove a body from the Metrolink commuter train that collided with a Union Pacific freight train the day before in Chatsworth, Calif., Sept. 13, 2008. Passenger railroads nationwide will now be required to install video recorders inside their locomotives, but the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said the new rule is flawed because it excludes freight trains like the one that derailed and caught fire in eastern Ohio, in February 2023. The NTSB made its recommendation to add cameras in locomotives in 2010 after it investigated the deadly 2008 collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train. (AP Photo/ Rene Macura, File) 
FILE – Cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, continues on Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
FILE – This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Regulators say Norfolk Southern has made improvements since a fiery Ohio derailment but still falls well short of being the “gold standard for safety” it is striving to be. The Federal Railroad Administration released a report on the railroad’s safety culture Wednesday, Aug. 9. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
Smith said she felt the President did his best to make everyone feel comfortable even though the visit sparked mixed emotions for many residents who were frustrated he didn’t visit sooner.
“We were happy to represent our community. Even though a lot of our folks felt like they wanted him to be here sooner, we were glad that he was finally here,” she said.
Some residents of the East Palestine community have criticized the government for downplaying their health and safety concerns, and there have been calls to track the long-term effects of the derailment with a voluntary disease registry.
Smith hopes the President makes good on his promises of long-term commitments to the village.
“It was important that we got the reassurances from the President that moving forward with our continued clean up process and the remediation of all of those things that have to be done,” she said.
“Norfolk Southern failed its responsibility,” said Biden Friday. “We know, multimillion-dollar railroad companies transporting toxic chemicals have a responsibility to do it safely. And again, Norfolk Southern failed.”
Biden announced six grants from the National Institutes of Health that will research and track the “short and long-term impacts” of what happened in East Palestine. It was not immediately clear if Biden was referring to environmental testing or health testing for residents.
NewsNation has been committed to investigating the fallout of the East Palestine train derailment over the last year. Here are the most recent updates:
- EPA kept secret elevated level of dioxins in East Palestine: Whistleblower report
- Ohio train derailment maps: Revisiting impact on East Palestine
- East Palestine health issues persist one year after Ohio train derailment
- East Palestine creeks visibly contaminated year after train derailment
- Cleanup costs exceed $1 billion Norfolk Southern announced layoffs
- Ohio train derailment: Have cleanup demands been met year later?
- East Palestine considering accepting wastewater
- East Palestine resident to ‘spend the rest of my life worrying’
- Ohio derailment still causing housing challenges
- Mayor: East Palestine residents plagued with health fears
NewsNation’s Caitlyn Shelton and Sean Nooone contributed to this report.
