Biden arrives in East Palestine a year after toxic train disaster

More than a year after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in rural Ohio , forcing thousands of residents to flee, Joe Biden arrived in the village of East Palestine on Friday afternoon. Locals made their feelings clear about the delay. His motorcade ran the gauntlet of banners proclaiming, ‘ Too Little, Too Late,’ and the streets were filled with people shouting, ‘[Expletive] you.’ They are furious that the president waited a year to see the impact of the crash, and believe he is only coming now because of November’s election.

As his motorcade passed homes that back on to the tracks, and which saw the worst of the damage, families held up signs saying: ‘Help. Our kids are still sick.’ Chris Solis, 58, accused Biden of making a ‘token’ appearance. ‘ East Palestine has been neglected and that been a trademark of his administration,’ he said. ‘He speaks in demeaning and patronizing tones to ordinary people.’

The White House defended the timing. ‘The president has always said when the time is right and when it made sense for him to go, he would go,’ his Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. ‘And so, that’s what he’s doing.’ The visit took him deep into Trump country, a county won by the former president with more than 70 percent of the votes cast in 2020.

Life turned upside down when the 150-freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed. Among its load were 700,000 pounds of vinyl chloride, a carcinogen used to produce pipes, furniture and other plastic goods. Responders took the decision to use a ‘controlled burn’ to avert the danger of a huge explosion, sending up a thick, black plume of smoke. That left residents wondering what deadly toxins were released into the air, soil and water.

Since then, federal authorities insist they have taken action to ensure that the environment and homes are safe. The Environmental Protection Agency says it removed more than 176,000 tons of hazardous waste. More than 49 million gallons of water, rainfall and snowmelt were removed or treated. Norfolk Southern, the railroad operating the freight train which derailed on Feb. 3 last year, said it has spent roughly $1.1 billion in its response.

That wasn’t enough to stop Trump supporters rallying on Main Street, just across from the mayor’s office, accusing the Biden’s administration of letting down the people of East Palestine. They flew flags saying, ‘Even my dogs hate Biden,’ and held banners demanding that the president be jailed. Mike Young, who organized the protest, said: ‘It’s not enough. These people are hurting down here. They’re scared. I think they’re afraid. ‘They don’t want to move into their homes.’

And they lined Biden’s route into the village. One man raised his middle fingers in salute as the president passed, and others chanted: ‘[Expletive] Joe Biden.’ Trump supporters pointed to the former president’s visit last year , less than three weeks after the derailment, as evidence of his support for economically marginalized communities. And plenty of residents agree that more has to be done to get their community back on their feet. But the protest irked many who said they were tired of being a political backdrop.

A customer at Sprinklz diner next door to the protest said: ‘A lot of them aren’t even from East Palestine.’ Staff fought a running battle to keep expletive filled signs from the front of their store. Krissy Ferguson, a 49-year-old mother, said she hoped for a chance to meet Biden. And she told DailyMail.com on Thursday that she could never return to her home and needed help to move away.

‘I can’t live here anymore,’ she said, her eyes welling with tears. ‘It’s not safe.’ Community activists sent a letter to Biden demanding he issue a major disaster declaration, provide long-term health monitoring and care, and offer relocation funding for those like Ferguson who want to leave. One of the authors, Jess Conard, said it was time to set politics aside and work with Biden to help the community.

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