Solo Into East Palestine, OH – What’s It Like Now?

[Music]
derailment 18 months later still a
process a lot of people don’t want to be
on camera fire trucks came out of
nowhere places I never even heard of we
had video from one of our cameras back
here you just saw this brilliant flash
like it just lit up the night third
division in town would you say or no I
just got kicked out by security she knew
my name somehow there’s off for you so
that’s East Palestine Smalls yeah we’re
we had our air quality tested where we
brought our kids home good it’s almost
like a walk back to the 9s feeling here
and that’s in a good way I still don’t
trust it and it probably be like that
for years I don’t care what anyone tells
me on that how’s the government done
with this situation what’s going to
happen in 5 10 years in our health if do
we stay here or do you go I don’t know
the derailment happened there it’s our
next stop
good morning guys almost 18 months ago
the train derailment happened in East
Palestine Ohio we all saw the visuals of
the fire and smoke in the air the
chemicals in the water the people
leaving town but what is East Palestine
like now since the cameras have mostly
gone away so today we’re going to go 45
minutes West over the Ohio State Line
get into town walk around and talk to
whomever wants to talk on camera to get
a better understanding of what the
current situation is like let’s do
[Music]
this here we go Ohio border and that was
a beautiful countryside right up into
East Palestine and here you can see
contaminated soil I’m guessing we’re
going to find out that else over
there Saturday midafternoon bit hot out
86 de do the East palestin come out in
this weather I think this is the center
square center of town let’s take a left
lot of American flags here we go we got
Land of the Free home of the brave this
Palestine Ohio it’s like some new paint
on the buildings some old joints here
your
quintessential Countryside
town so I’ve been outside of Pittsburgh
the last week north of Pittsburgh
between here and Pittsburgh basically
and the people are extremely friendly
everyone Smiles not everyone but most
people you go into a store they smile at
you they keep the doors open they’re
interested they want to
talk you guys from town yeah I love here
what was it like when the the Train
derailed do you remember I remember uh
seeing fire and smoke and stuff and then
I I live near it so I ran down near my
church I can see the flame just off just
trying to go everyone’s trying to forget
about it yeah trying to go back to the
way it used to be okay what did it used
to be um like just quiet every knew each
Panic different places okay are you guys
sick of people coming to town it’s not
that bad I I don’t take it person par
like you get down um so you’re saying
there’s some people in the park you
think could yeah they talk all right
guys all the best take
care close business next to the
Environmental Protection Agency office
EPA Community Welcome
Center that’s not going to happen
today how you doing ma’am you don’t want
to be on video but your neighbor candy
you’re saying might want to talk yeah
okay you got a nice street here ma’am
thank you yeah and I don’t blame people
a lot of people don’t want to be on
camera it’s usually like they really
want to be on camera or really don’t
want to be on
camera candy and Lenny from East
Palestine correct do you remember the
night when this happened happen was
actually we were in bed we heard the
fire trucks yeah we didn’t hear any
wreck just all of a sudden all these
fire trucks came out of nowhere and they
were everywhere from places I never even
heard of walk outside and you start
gagging from the smoke it was really bad
smoke cloud from the fire yep so that
was above the clouds from an airplane
right 16 states are affected by this
train derailment now you’re talking it
clear up into Michigan down in the
Carol’s pretty much Canada east coast
yeah Canada so there was a fire and then
a few days after they burnt one of the
cars right five cars five cars and that
was just to what was the reasoning for
that they blew it up to vent the
pressure in it to keep it from blowing
up and causing a major
catastrophe so they instituted it on
their own okay so they’re in a bad
there’s no good out of that one and they
added as they the NTSB hearing proved
that they should have never have been
burned it national Transportation safety
board uh they said they shouldn’t have
done that nor fork did that it wasn’t
the EPA or Department of Transportation
or anything Norfolk said it up and they
talked our fire chief and mayor into
going along with it saying it was the
best option to do so when they did it
they laid it back on the fire chief of
the mayor and well they said go ahead
and do this but they have you know they
have no idea what it was they don’t have
college degrees and chemicals and stuff
they’re just regular people so how’s it
now back to normal or what are what are
your thoughts they keep finding pockets
of final chloride that’s what was in the
train yes final chloride which makes
like PVC piping right yes yeah that’s
what they pared I work right out where
the train wreck was so we were back to
work 3 days after they blew up the cars
it was so bad you walk in and you start
feeling it you can’t have a hard time
breathing my throat was
raw my Sonics are all messed up like
yeah it’s safe to be in here I can tell
well they told me I got stage three
liver disease now or kidney disease now
that I didn’t have 6 months ago it could
be from what I do for a living cuz I’m a
welder you’re a welder okay could be
because I SM could be because I have
high blood pressure could be no no I’ve
been looking at your medical records I
am a detective Cy detective okay you get
to the bottom of things so okay for
example if you’re concerned about your
health right now is anyone helping with
treatment no there’s nothing set up
where you could go get a checkup really
oh you can get a checkup but there’s
only so many tests they’ll do some tests
that they don’t even do because they
know what they’re going to find they’ll
do the basic blood work but not for
heavy metal or they’re not allowed to
say anything about chemical exposure or
nothing that’s no okay so you feel like
you guys need more medical
attention you you’d feel better if there
were some resources for getting a full
checkup Deep dive check up yes to make
sure you’re okay from what happened yes
is that what I’m gathering that’s what
I’m yeah okay yeah we need somebody
enough balls to push it are there a lack
of balls out here yeah I mean pretty
much all the all the bigger people in
town they’ve all got something from
somebody so they’re like happy they got
this and that so they’re not pushing the
envelope on okay so there’s been a bunch
of money slushing around though fair to
say yeah oh yeah so a lot of money came
into town yes well 25 million came into
town to f new
park okay so we’re good for the kids
right we’re getting yeah but that’s
where they dried out everything from The
Vinyl coer ey not that was in the ceks
yeah you ain’t saying that’s not
contaminated their mats that they put up
on the cek to soak up the chemicals and
stuff they took to the park rinsed them
off and then left them lay there to dry
okay so everything ran down you know
across the payment across the grass down
into the little stream that they’re
called they call S for Run is it clean
now they said it is it’s good it’s clean
the water’s okay but they never did
anything clean the banks and the
dirt EPA was out here right EP is still
here are they doing a pretty good job do
you think no you’re not happy no first
of all 600 million for 20 mile radius is
wrong Norfork Southern is giving out 600
million yeah you don’t think that’s
enough nowhere near 20 miles okay so
what is that what is that for you guys
then we don’t know you will not know
what money you get until you get it in
the mail yeah then to the Check Cashes
then you sign off on all things against
them you can never come back on them or
the EPA anything that happens to you
after that if you get some kind of
illus oh well you got
it Southern Pest well reimbursed us for
staying away I stayed away for almost 11
months you stayed away from this home
yes oh interesting we’re in a hotel in
fungan they paid for that they reimburse
for your hotel your food your gas but
they gave us a1099 as income yeah yes so
you got taxed on that come on
yes
ouch so with the settlement they’re
taking that whatever anybody got paid
out of the settlement money so if you
got3 or $40,000 for your expenses and
stuff while you were gone staying out
away from this that’s the first thing
that comes out of your settlement check
wow all right I got this from their
website 0 to2 mil 70,000 2 to 445 right
4 to 7 30k 7 to 10 miles
15K 10 to 15 500 15 to 20 $250 each yeah
up that’s up up to that that’s not a
guarantee that’s amazing like the 70
it’s not guaranteed 70 okay so you’re
within 2 miles right 1.1 okay 1. so if
the website reads right and they do what
they say here you’d be getting 140 per
household per household yes okay I
thought per person no no so there’s a
lot of people you’re signing your rights
away you’re not making anything so to
get that money you have to sign
something with nor forg saying hey
you’re never going to sue if you have
some medical condition come up in 10
years they have nothing to do with it
right right okay they’re going to give
you
$10,000 up to $10,000 for medical so he
would get 10 I would get
10 two that’s like three nights in
Hospital there you go all right guys all
right all the best should I go down this
way you think it’s a good way to go I’m
going to run into people that ain’t
going to talk because they don’t want to
think about anything being wrong they
want to sweep it all under the cover cuz
most of the businesses in town couldn’t
wait for the reporters to leave oh okay
CU they didn’t want the notoriety
publicity that’s what you need to get
something done you got to have a voice
out there somewhere it’s got a little
bit of you know backing to
it what’s up guys hey how’s the ice
cream here uh pretty good you guys from
town yeah I’m making a video on East
Palestine any anything to say what are
your thoughts on
things um it’s been like on a scale of
like from terrible to okay this is a
little bit okay but how’s it now how’s
it now 18 months later aside for most of
the businesses leaving town I mean it’s
a lot of businesses left town yeah I
mean you got people out of their homes
and everything now cuz just I mean I
just still don’t trust the water I like
they can just say and do whatever they
want I’m glad that they’re trying to
make somewhat of an effort but like I
still don’t trust it and it’ probably be
like that for years I don’t care what
anyone tells me on that you know the
Arabic here is that East Palestine is
that what this says uh this is uh farsy
writing um yeah basically Arabic it’s uh
Persian and all it says is love we can
fight all we want you
know it’s going to be endless battle but
I do believe everyone’s awesome I
believe there’s a lot of people out in
this world I don’t care what color you
are or who you are or what you are
everyone’s awesome just got this few out
of the group they just ruined it for
everyone and it’s been like that for
years you know what I mean you got to
believe it in something you know
everyone needs to come together and like
at least accept have love in it in it
all you know what I mean like this this
is our land no matter where you’re at on
this Earth This Is Our Land you know we
got you got to respect it you know what
I
mean is what it is all right guys
where’s the park is it down here yeah
this is right down there you’ll see the
sign and you just make a a left right in
that all right you suggest the soft
serve here yeah oh yeah oh yeah take
care guys you
how you doing man how are you good
you’re the boss yeah okay can I just do
a small soft surf he’s the best cone
maker no no is it you I know it’s not
you how much did you say that was 275
that’s a great deal here’s that for you
so that’s East Palestine small yeah okay
[Music]
cool Park is down here you guys guys mhm
all right thank you you’re
welcome that’s a
small looks like this is all new here
and one of these little Creeks I
remember the footage right after the
accident chemicals in those
Creeks what all right so NS is putting
some money into this park as you can see
Zero Entry swimming pool modern
playgrounds upgraded baseball Fields
basketball courts Amphitheater community
center this is pre NS so what of this
stuff’s been here a while it’s actually
a very nice park so what they’re going
to do that’ll be interesting to see what
this is in a few
years okay so what’s going on right now
Jen here what do you guys got going on
the family reunion this is one family
this isn’t even half of it wow my dad
was one of 14 and then they all had at
least three if not more kids okay and I
was talking to you some of your family
or friends down there uhuh they were
telling me something that I didn’t think
I would hear and then they said hey Jen
we’ll talk on camera cuz they didn’t
want to talk on camera okay so my
question was what’s the situation like
what was your experience during the big
event I mean you know when it first
happened of course you know you’re you
don’t know what’s going on I am I live
like. 3 miles from it so it was just
down at the end of my road and I went
down there that night cuz from my house
I could see the fire and everything and
I went down to the end of the road and
all you saw is huge flames and
everything like that and so um you
didn’t know what was going to happen you
know and yeah the chemical smell of
course um it’s bad the first month month
and a half the two months you did smell
it you know like I leave early in the
morning for work and I could smell it or
you’d smell it late at night my mom’s
bedroom is a build on to my house when
we turned on the furnace this past fall
she was smelling it so we did to get our
ducks cleaned the chemical smell was
still lingering in there but now I mean
it’s just back to normal now it’s back
to normal for yeah you don’t smell I
don’t smell anything so how do you think
they did as far as say the EPA and the I
don’t know exactly all the agencies that
came in here but yeah I think they um I
feel like it could have been way worse
if um this didn’t make national
attention because that forced PPA and
norol and everybody else to come in and
clean up I think if it didn’t make like
Fox News and all them and W
Nationwide I think right now we’d be
having a very different conversation
okay so I feel like they did do a good
job in cleaning up so overall you’re
okay with the situation I’m okay with it
I mean of course course you don’t want
it to happen but no no course and I’m
I’m thankful that nobody got hurt you
know nobody seriously got hurt or
nobody’s house caught on fire because of
it you know um but it’s the uncertainty
as well as what’s going to happen in 5
10 years 20 years in our health if do we
stay here or do you go I don’t know I
feel fine my family is fine nobody has
any reactions but but to be
determined 5 10 15 years down the road
you never know but you know how do you
know if it was from that score if it was
from anything else that we put in our
bodies or on our bodies you know what I
mean so you you don’t know I mean it’s a
great place um my daughter definitely
does not want to move you know I want to
move only because this is the kind of
weather that I like you know and I want
it you’re long you know but she doesn’t
want to live your daughter likes it here
yeah she’s 12 years old this is her
right here and um she loves the school
she loves the the people here and I mean
it’s a great place probably at the end
of this month all the way until October
November this park is filled every night
with kids doing sports and activities
and stuff it’s very nice very calming to
come to okay with uh nor fork settlement
money do you know anything about that
have they come through yet or that’s
still outstanding action still going
through you have till August 22nd to
file claim I actually just did mine this
week is it enough that they’re giving us
I don’t know is it going to help me and
my family definitely when you think
about like in 10 years you know am I
going to get cancered and am I if I stay
here is my kid G to have like
reproductive issues you know when she’s
oh you know becomes an adult wants to
start a family I don’t know and you
never know going to know that and what
they’re giving us is it’s nice to get
you know obvious but at the same time
you know with a company that profits
$1.5 billion a year 600 million is kind
of like a slap on the wrist to them cuz
that’s profit not what they make it’s
profit over 1.5 billion I live closer
than most of the people that complain
about it and I don’t spell anything prob
you’re probably what I’m like what’s
your name m’am Shell Shell do you mind
can I I got the camera on both of you
okay so what were you saying shell I
live
she lives about a block away from me
half a block away and I’ve not had any
issues no I guess it does affect some
people but that was first month or two
after it happened is there division in
town would you say or no no over this
topic no the majority of the Town people
think like we do really yes because if
they didn’t they’ all move out you know
what I mean well if you don’t have the
money to move right you’re not going
anywhere I don’t know how they could say
they didn’t have the money to move if I
mean they can sell their house and like
folk was willing to pay them like let’s
say their house was $100,000 prior to
the Der and now they sold it for 60 they
were going to make up that difference so
why they really so you could have sold
out you could have sold and if you if
they sold below the market value prior
to February third then you norfol was
supposed to make up the difference so
why do you know if that’s true were they
doing that making up the difference
that’s what that’s what they said I mean
that that came out in reading material
that came out to us so they had to do it
it was in writing you guys are Steelers
fan but we’re in
Ohio are originally from yeah and most
um Steeler f are in Ohio I mean here in
there’s only one that’s not that’s her
husband wow I wouldn’t have expected
that all right guys short time here
already a wide range of views it might
be one of those videos where you leave
with more questions than answers but
this is my style uh getting on the
ground
and showing you what I come into had no
expectations for today more of that
first story actually I didn’t think I’d
hear that story but we’re going to run
into more people and get more of the
locals voice here on the
situation how you doing sir how you
doing bu good so the water down here
you’re saying’s pretty clean I can’t you
can’t say on C I got I totally
understand thank you sir thank you okay
this guy is
outsourced by another company to do
water samples and testing and uh
whatever else environmentally I didn’t
totally get his resume but um from his
mouth and he said he didn’t want to be
on camera because of company policy like
he can’t be on camera he said things are
looking very clean right now in these
waterways his words not mine I’m just
relaying the information I come into
along the
way something small you’re going to
spray paint something waiting going to
spray I probably redo one of these g59
things
g59 suicide boys is that a band it’s a
it’s these two cousins from New Orleans
okay do you want me to record this
okay so what’s going on in town guys
much you got a good group of buddies you
hang out with yeah that’s what we do
most of the time we walk around show to
the bridge go to the park we got this
this is little place up by a cemetery
called trippy trees we hang out at okay
it’s like this little flat spot got some
we climb down the hill and all that nice
this train after the accident how many
days did it stop for before it was going
again I think about a couple weeks a
couple weeks yeah I think like a week
after derailed they blew it up and clean
cleaned it oh okay we were just outside
the like 1 mile evacuation radius me and
my dad so you never had to leave no okay
which is which I’m glad did a lot of
your buddies leave town not really I
think some like left for the
grandparents for a couple days and came
back okay so it’s not that bad here
honestly they did all the water they’re
still doing it they yeah I just saw a
guy down by one of those Creeks yeah
they’re going to be redoing something up
at the park I guess like what about a
skate park do you guys have one of those
in town we used to until everybody kept
trying to sue why cuz everybody got her
on it but it’s skateboarding yeah it’s
sort of part of the sport right getting
hurt pretty
much see you guys see you have a good
one it’s got those innocent great small
town Vibes it’s almost like a walk back
to the 90s feeling here in East
Palestine and that’s in a good way as in
the park situation and kids under the
bridge and just being kids and spray
painting something not telling anyone to
spray paint things but kids being kids
skateboards and just a slow pace of
life okay so how is East
these days depends on who you talk to
depends on who you talk to as far as
businesses and and people in general
doesn’t mean okay I’ve noticed no
consensus so far no we have Facebook
groups and some people get on there and
it’s good I mean I don’t know some
things are good some things are bad it
depends on the person what about what
about you no consensus what are your
thoughts I actually think that yeah
there was a lot of I mean I we wish it
did didn’t happen and you know a lot of
bad came out of it but a lot of good
came to this town because of it so like
what we got helped with we’re going to
get a new park and we got you know they
gave us money for things and I don’t
think it’s that bad okay but is your
friend in the same boat here are you so
so so so so don’t take life for granted
don’t take life for granted that’s true
too cuz we weren’t even home we were on
our way home the night it happen my
father-in-law called us and asked where
we were and we said we’re leaving
Colombiana on our way home he said well
I wouldn’t come home so then we got on
the news and saw it so yeah I mean it we
were just at my in-laws and didn’t think
anything of it and we’re just going to
come home and then next thing you know
we can’t come home and we came home for
like 2 days and then left again and then
relocated for a month and a half to my
in-laws and and the kids were still in
school and yeah did you get any help
financially for all the relocation and
we did was it enough it was it was if we
because we were staying with in-laws it
was we didn’t have Hotel expenses or
nothing okay but you got money if you
needed to go to a hotel so you could you
could save that correct and we helped
out with food and stuff while we were
there so okay you know we because they
didn’t that was five extra people we
have three kids yeah that’s five extra
people they had to feed so you’re doing
okay these days yeah yes now we’re fine
we’re good we’re we had our air quality
tested before we brought our kids home
we’re good do you worry at all about
long-term health issues or not really if
we were on the east side I would say yes
but because we were on the west side and
we were only here for 2 days after it
happened and then we left immediately
before they did that big controlled
release I’m going to say no but I also
said you didn’t know what you were
breathing or drinking before it happened
so
who
knows all right well thank you all the
best good luck you too you got a lot of
work today take care good too thank
you nice car thank you can I record it
sure my uncle’s had it for a long time
but uh I just started driving and riding
in it a couple months ago not an easy
drive but you’re in style as long as
you’re moving you’re okay you from town
unfortunately sometimes we my kids grew
up here but we’ve been come back and
forth from here to South Carolina so
okay where do you like better definitely
South Carolina so how’s Town these days
Town
sucks I hated it before their derailment
and I hate it worse after so no love for
East Palestine no love for East
Palestine they need to do a little bit
better but it’s okay we all learn what
do they need to do better with uh I just
feel like it’s Town’s always in a town
where if you aren’t a part of a certain
family or if you pretty much if you
don’t if you’re not somebody or you
don’t know somebody then you’re not
[Music]
somebody all right we’re right back
where we started coming into
town and no high hopes to talk to anyone
of these
guys but we’ll try
yeah I’m not going to go past that but
that’s where it happened right over
there derailment 18 months
later still a
process I got to say compared to lahina
what I saw in
lahina I mean totally different type of
disaster but this seems like it’s moved
a bit
quicker all right
I just got kicked out by security nice
lady she knew my name somehow I don’t
know if the security is that good or
she’s seen the content but Hep Co or
hepo not sure how it’s pronounced
they’re cleaning up the soil and the
water like I said those guys aren’t
going to be able to be on camera so
that’s is the best I can do show you
what that looks like and it is a
Saturday and it looks like they’re
working here
some more
security and best if I be
[Music]
leaving how old did you say that sh was
at least 40 guide to your emotions
irritated excited hungry like so you
just look the same no matter what okay
if you are at
home and have a u I’m just going to say
Hol dishes in the same thing okay but
you really regret be out on a motorcycle
or a bike riding okay say to hell with
the stuff that’s in the thing and get
out there and do what you really want to
do because you never never know what’s
going to happen so you you spent a lot
of time on the motorcycle no
on the back of she would if you are you
looking for a guy to come by with a
motorcycle nice
Harley she get on but I got your point I
got your point you’re saying live yes
because I that I mean that’s what
happened to me everything was fine in my
life and all that and just like
that I’ve got demena and I know it you
have demena yes I do I do but I have a
husband that takes beautiful care of oh
great my daughter so basically you’re
saying while you have your health live
life to the fullest yes oh yeah because
you never know you never know have a
wonderful
day mother you want to kidnap me and
take you home that’s what oh wow she’s
going for
it all right just talking to this guy at
Pizza Joe’s doesn’t want to be on camera
he said he only closed down for two days
and business has been thriving because
the Red Cross and all the cleanup crews
are coming here for pizza because it’s
super close to the work being done here
are the
tracks so he got really lucky he
said that it didn’t happen here and
instead if you can see far out in the
distance the derailment happened there
so the Train derailed right there beyond
that blue building right we had video of
it you can see the Sparks coming off of
it right there and then this okay like I
don’t know if you watched any of the of
the video and you saw like this the
heated bearing going off we had uh video
from one of our cameras back here that
picked that up and then once that
flashing went past then you just saw
this brilliant flash like it just lit up
the night and and you couldn’t see you
know just Whited out the camera wow but
so we didn’t have a camera that could
actually you see over here but the cars
like were just they were just piled up
and you have a welding shop here yeah
okay yeah don’t drip over the steel this
is the
train and there’s is that okay if I
record on it there’s what what happened
buddy explosiv here on the track and the
train went over then it
goes car sort of like that okay did you
tell him about stoni no I did not tell
him about what’s stoni he is he’s the
the local TV guy from Youngstown came
down and was wanting to talk to her and
she refused he called me and said could
we have a chat and I said certainly and
then he came with all his cameras and
I’m like turn off the
cameras okay I have no camera Cris I am
a camera phobic but I like your channel
I don’t know oh thank you thank you okay
so what’s your perspective of what
happened for you guys has it been a big
issue what are your thoughts it happened
when when we weren’t here we didn’t see
it we didn’t see it okay well we could
see that our window there there was a
lot of trauma and anxiety in terms of
the unknown okay of how this was
affecting us and a lot to process sure
while it was happening and
aftermath um but I I’m just going to say
like when we were evacuated in the
hotels there was the news on and there
was all about about East Palestine the
disaster and everything sorry I’ve been
calling Palestine today does anyone say
that or they say Palestine some people
say Palestine okay I apologize I think
he says Palestine I say Palestine oh
okay he’s a Palestine guy it’s all right
okay so you’re in the news you’re
watching the news we were in you know
the lobby at the hotel eating our
breakfast at the hotel and there’s other
people Milling about and there was a
whole bunch of stuff about a Palestine
on the news and then there was a little
blip about the earthquakes over in
Turkey I just took a moment with my kids
got their attention and said okay we we
are experiencing a disaster but that’s a
tragedy over there you would have had
family who died your friends wouldn’t
have homes maybe you wouldn’t have a
home economy is
destroyed from the earthquakes you know
there thousands and thousands of people
died no one died here
we are inconvenienced by being having to
leave our home for a week after that
little chat with my
kids I had adults coming to me and
saying thank you for that
perspective we need I had an adult come
and say I needed that okay so you’re
just an optimistically minded person not
no I’m not really um you’re an honest
person there we go I like that I just we
H School our children and I just try to
take every opportunity to see a bigger
picture and you know things from a
Christian point of view and I was just
putting it in perspective for my family
we were exposed we can’t change that if
that’s going to cause cancer down the
road there’s nothing we can do about it
we don’t know if that’s going to happen
or not so how long were you evacuated
for uh we stayed out 10 days I stayed
longer than than the mandatory okay and
you live close to here yeah within the
mile okay and then in regards to the EPA
did they come in quickly what are your
what are your thoughts on the the
government side of they were here pretty
quick they were involved there was there
was so much going like there was they
had security they had this place lock
down like crazy so once it kind of
settled out and you kind of got a feel
of the lay of the land like was the
where was the EPA the whole time
eventually their trailer was sitting
like right here okay we we saw them you
know every morning for 9 months they
least they at least space from D but but
where they were in their first few days
you know there was National Guard going
around and evacuating everybody cuz they
were going to do that control burn and
all that stuff so it was it was a really
chaotic there was police there was there
was army people it was just it was a
crazy news media
media so I I come like a year and a half
after the event That’s My Style that’s
good cuz no one else is around the
fireworks are over and I just want to
get it like the dust settles what’s
going on so EPA you had good experience
overall with them it was no no issues or
you thought they did their job well or
or hard to say hard to know it’s hard to
say like but Bas based on the reporting
like they put out a little newsletter
but you know what they say in there is
what they did then they did their job
and one of the things that uh early on
people started to complain about was
like where’s the federal government why
is there FEMA here and stuff like that
that was one of the things that I heard
I don’t know I’m not an expert on it but
they said that if FEMA gets
involved then Northfolk Southern’s not
on the hook for all the damage Northfolk
Southern is a huge company they they
probably have an entire floor in some
office building somewhere dedicated to
what if this happens right here you know
what I mean so it wasn’t like they
weren’t ready for it they didn’t know
what to do so they immediately deployed
they had people they were moving the
cars that you know like immediately I
like I said they laid down a piece of
track and they had trains running and
then then it was sort of like then the
EPA came in and said okay you know
obviously that’s not good enough we got
to clean this up properly and I don’t
think that I don’t know I don’t know I I
don’t know the people that are in charge
of norol Southern but it doesn’t seem to
me like they thought that they were
going to put down tracks and nobody was
going to notice and they were going to
get away with it okay you know what I
mean like I think they knew that was
coming but it’s like well we can move
some trains here and trying to unsnarl
because I guess it created a pretty big
mess logistically as far as them getting
the freight mve for their customers cuz
this these two lines here I you notice
how many trains go down here we it’s
been busy today but but it’s it’s really
busy usually in the midst of all the
unknown in the aftermath there was a lot
of
misinformation that was hard to like
pick through and and discern what was
real what was true what really affects
us or not do you think any media
organization came in and did that what
is real what is true approach or do you
think they came in no they like a big
story they’ll take anything that’s
dramatic and go with it okay yeah even
people that you would talk
to directly and you would tell them the
story the way that we experienced the
way that we saw it they’d go out and
then that their story would come out and
it would be oh you know the it would
just be it would be the opposite of what
you told them the actual experience here
like literally a ground zero
was it’s like that was not what they
wanted to hear I don’t think I’ve
watched absolutely any mainstream media
since this happened and like there’s no
that’s a waste of life to watch that
because if they do everywhere else that
they did
here kids have iPads they’re not allowed
to go on YouTube or Safari like the
internet unless they’re near us like in
the room with us and they say hey I’m no
Tik Tok no they’ve never been on no
YouTube no we have a couple times with
them Instagram no they’re not Instagram
they have messenger kids with their
cousins so they can chat with their
cousins and some of her friends yeah
okay that’s it most of her friends are
like like over 30 minutes away do do you
feel like you’re missing out or you’re
glad you don’t have the devices to stare
out all day long both I do not think
that I’m missing out I’m glad that I
don’t have that stuff junk I don’t know
over stimulation yeah it’s funny when
kids are talking about all these memes
and stuff they like what you’re crazy
are you a Swifty I have no idea okay
you’re totally out of Pop Culture just
like me yes
going to go up Conrad Conrad if you’re
taking over the business next year you
going have to know about ladder climbing
it’s all right Conrad dad will help you
I got you wait
you’re you see the piling the steel
piling right there okay y you can see
between the buildings this right after
the building yeah so they had to dig I
don’t know how deep deep they dug but it
was pretty deep and that they had to put
all that piling in Hold the Wall you
know hold the dirt back while they back
filled okay and did all that but this
there was a pile of dirt from that
excavator boom over there you know
covering this whole area so a pretty big
operation oh it was huge it was huge the
this tank this blue tank over here
that’s all brand new like they built
that and all that stuff in there behind
that for this cleanup what’s in the tank
water they would take groundwater from
this okay site so they weren’t allowed
to take any water off the let any water
run off the site how many employees have
been down here tough to say it’s tough
to say but
hundreds like then during this the
height of the thing there there were
hundreds every day okay and they work on
Saturdays yeah they would work around
the clock okay I mean it’s it’s slowed
down a lot gotcha since then there’s our
camera you can see our little camera up
there oh right on the top there yeah the
lonely little they didn’t like that they
didn’t like it so the smoke wasn’t
blowing up here it was just going it
would go up and away I mean it was going
like you know you can tell what the
prevailing wind is here it’s pretty much
from there and it it goes down
everything here wased with Ash from the
control after the control
burn in the control burn Ash is there a
consensus on that was that a good idea
to do or not or who
knows who who can tell like what the
NTSB just came out and said of it wasn’t
necessary but I mean whether it was good
idea or not I don’t think they consulted
enough people I should show you the
Drone shots that I have from right after
it happened I took my drone up and went
over and you can just see just rail car
look like toys just
piled we have homesteading we just have
our Gardens here I was really concerned
about growing food here and what impact
the chemicals had and how whether it was
safe to eat food grown here and the
media was telling the world it’s unsafe
to to eat any agriculture from the area
they were even saying like 50 Mi out
don’t even buy any meat or produce from
anywhere near near the derailment that
got me fired up because that was going
to kill small farms in this area so
wouldn’t 50 a 50 mile radius wouldn’t it
depend what way the winds were going
like if they’re going east it would have
they’re not trying to be smart on the
media when they’re giving you
information anyway I have tried to sell
some produce and whatnot and plants I
have a greenhouse and I starts in the
spring and it has impacted my own small
scale
sales and I’m honest when people ask
when they see I’m in this East Palestine
they ask how close are you to The Spill
and I’m 600 ft so I have I have to tell
people that’s your Greenhouse right
there tiny little Greenhouse so if it’s
affecting me at that small scale imagine
how it’s affecting small farms in the
areas surround in US you’re happy with
how the EPA has been with you I yeah I
mean they they were listening and they
took my request and did something about
it did research and at the beginning I
was I was really skeptical they would
even call me back so and they did they
did yeah you met with some of these guys
yeah they were actually on this property
they rented dad’s driveway they about
lemonade kid
lemon like nobody else was allowed
summer except for the EPA so they were
pretty much our only customers and and
all of nor contractors contract so you
had a lemonade stand for the cont let’s
try this I had the Caroll set up a
lemonade stand over here in the lawn I
knew it was a big risk for them because
it’s not open to the public the only
potential customers are from the cleanup
right what did you make like $200 that
day it was great 00 in lemonade sales
well these guys they say lemonade keep
the change keep the change to 20 keep
the change like this is not giving my
kids a realistic you know view of
business but they weren’t buying a lot
yeah well that’s cool yeah
yeah all right guys well that was an
interesting day and definitely not what
I expected coming into it and keep in
mind that was just me in town for one
day hello sir for one day and those were
the people I ran into naturally if I
came a different day I would run into
different people I’m not here to tell
you what is or isn’t in East Palestine
just to capture the views of the locals
to get the true story you need to talk
to 5,000 locals that’s how many are here
right 5,000 yeah roughly just a little
bit less little bit less okay so walk
away from this maybe with more questions
than answers watch watch other content
read other content ask questions stay
curious always wonder where the
incentives come
from the money you know why is there a
certain narrative out there the basic
stuff stay curious and hope you enjoyed
that that was interesting for me and for
those that do have health issues from
this incident or um you know do feel
like you weren’t your your stories
weren’t told uh you know I did my best
to talk to everyone I could on the
streets today and that’s just the way
the cookie crumbled here today on
Saturday East Palestine all right guys
thanks for coming along on that Journey
until the next one
[Music]