SAFETY FIRST?

Angry East Palestine Residents Confront Officials Over Train Derailment

“Where’s Pete Buttigieg?” one man demanded to know.

In the wake of the alarming train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, nearly two weeks ago, angry residents gathered at a heated town hall Wednesday, with many still questioning whether they were actually safe in their homes after the hazardous chemical vinyl chloride was released into the air. “I have three grandbabies,” resident Kathy Dyke, who attended the meeting, told the AP. “Are they going to grow up here in five years and have cancer?” Norfolk Southern, the derailed train’s operator, did not attend the informational session, citing safety concerns. Locals also questioned where Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was. “Where’s Pete Buttigieg? Where’s he at?” one man asked East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, who replied: “I don’t know. Your guess is as good as me.” While Republicans have repeatedly called out Buttigieg, Gov. Mike DeWine has said the federal government has already offered assistance, with Biden given him a call. But DeWine said he hasn’t called him back. “Look, the president called me and said ‘anything you need,” he said earlier this week. “I have not called him back after that conversation. I will not hesitate to do that if we are foreseeing a problem or anything but I’m not seeing it.” DeWine says the federal government is still probing the crash, as testing points to local air reportedly being safe and breathable. Residents, however, remain uncertain. The Ohio EPA said that five wells used for drinking water there are not contaminated, though water testing is still taking place, according to Fox News.