BILLINGS — Two sisters who were born and raised in Billings recently moved to Cleveland, Ohio. But the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine has them worried this won't be the last time an event like this shocks a community.
Emma and Erika Weik now live just 90 minutes away from where the train derailed. They say they are growing concerned with a range of things, like the possible long-term health and environmental impacts from the derailment. But they say they are mostly worried about the people living in East Palestine—and the lack of information they are receiving.
“Actually for both of us, we really first heard about it more on social media than we did the news, which was a little confusing. I was like, why aren’t we hearing more about this?” Erika said on Zoom on Saturday. “I mean for me, my first thing was concern. Why am I hearing about this on social media?”
Emma added she found out about the incident days after the derailment had even occurred while she was scrolling on TikTok.
"I didn’t even hear about it until days after it derailed. Seeing the pictures it was very much like, not understanding what was happening because there wasn’t really a lot being said about it, besides what I was seeing primarily on TikTok,” Emma said on Zoom on Saturday. “The concern is obviously for those people. And just like, what are they dealing with? Are they safe? I feel more concerned about the people. They probably know more than I do (about the derailment), but they also don’t know if they are safe. They don’t know if what’s happening is actually going to cause them harm."
The Weik sisters said they have heard various concerning reports from East Palestine residents.
“There’s reports of people having headaches, having this, having that, animals dying, and stuff like that,” Emma said. “I’m frustrated for those people. I know that those people have to be frustrated. Being frustrated because you’re not given the full story, or the story that you’re given is being contradicted by other agencies.”
And Erika wonders what the impacts will be for all Ohio residents.
“I think it’s still a little bit unclear of how far-reaching it is. I’m seeing footage of fish dying in the rivers, in the water. I’ve been consuming my tap water, showering, doing all these things. Should I be concerned? It's scary," Erika said. “And we’re getting mixed signals. They’re getting mixed signals. They’re hearing that it’s fine to go back home. It’s fine to drink the water. But then there’s all these other symptoms in people and animals.”
A joint statement from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas Sivak released Friday states that continued disaster recovery efforts are underway.
The statement reads in part:
“FEMA and the State of Ohio have been in constant contact regarding emergency operations in East Palestine. U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA have been working together since day one.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), 38 rail cars derailed on Feb. 3, followed by a fire. Twenty of the cars were carrying hazardous materials, eleven of which derailed. A safety investigation is underway to determine the cause of the derailment. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
On Sunday, Feb. 5, an evacuation was ordered for residents of East Palestine. On Monday, Feb. 6, officials conducted a controlled release, or breach, of five of the tankers carrying vinyl chloride to avoid a possible explosion. This sent hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has been publishing results online of air, water, and soil quality tests. While the soil at the derailment site is going to need serious remediation, the air and water tests show no quality concerns.
But some Ohioans aren't convinced.
“For me, I care about the environment. So is that going to affect this future community just like it did, I want to say, like Chernobyl? It’s basically ruined," Emma said. "Animals, people can’t go there safely. You can’t even inhabit places like that.”
And the Weik's believe the recent talk of a railroad strike should have been handled more seriously.
"(Workers) went on strike. They made a deal with (the workers), gave them more time off, or whatever," Erika said. "But did that really fix the other things that they were striking about? Poor working conditions, not enough people, safety. Safety concerns seem to be things that weren’t addressed and I have to believe that that’s why these things are happening.”
And without key problems fixed, the Weik's fear it's only a matter of time before this happens again.
“There’s a bigger issue here, and that’s what needs to be solved. Not just this town, which does need to be fixed, but if this doesn’t get fixed, it’s going to happen again. And it’s going to affect a lot more than just 25,000 people,” Emma said. “Just the fear in every community that it could happen to them because there’s a railroad that runs right through town."
And Erika agrees.
“It’s scary. It is scary. I feel like it can happen anywhere to anybody,” Erika said. “If the rail system is as bad as the people say it was when striking, this is bound to happen again."
The Weiks both say they believe Norfolk Southern and government officials are more concerned about losing profits than they are about losing people.
"The response that was given by officials, by this company, if this sets a precedence for how the response will be if this happens in the future, that’s scary to me. To prioritize corporations and profit over the people," Erika said. "We feel like the corporate interests of X, Y, and Z, the railroad, other companies that have their stake in the railroad, is a priority.”
“I think there should be more accountability for the railroad company for the issue. It wasn’t intentional, but I feel like it was still their bad, and it was something that they need to help clean up. Not just the mess itself, but the aftermath,” Emma added. “Getting the railroad running is the priority, not their health and wellbeing."
And the Weik's believe more transparency and communication are necessary.
“I think (there needs to be) full transparency of what the issue was. Not, 'Let’s hurry up and get it fixed as fast as possible,' Let’s get it fixed correctly and safely," Emma said. “How far-reaching is this? How much should I be concerned about my own safety being as close as we are?”
To learn more about the train derailment, click here.
To read the joint statement from Ohio Governor DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Sivak, click here.
“People deserve an explanation as to why this happened," Erika said. "Not hush-hush covering things up. And then, therefore, deserve to have the reason that it’s caused. Those people, that organization, the business. They should be held accountable."
