Thread: The Ohio Catastrophe

50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — A freight train derailment in Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line left a mangled and charred mass of boxcars and flames Saturday as authorities launched a federal investigation and monitored air quality from the various hazardous chemicals in the train.


About 50 cars derailed in East Palestine at about 9 p.m. EST Friday as a train was carrying a variety of products from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, rail operator Norfolk Southern said Saturday. There was no immediate information about what caused the derailment. No injuries or damage to structures were reported.


“The post-derailment fire spanned about the length of the derailed train cars,” Michael Graham, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Saturday evening. “The fire has since reduced in intensity, but remains active and the two main tracks are still blocked.”

Norfolk Southern said 20 of the more than 100 cars were classified as carrying hazardous materials — defined as cargo that could pose any kind of danger “including flammables, combustibles, or environmental risks.” Graham said 14 cars carrying vinyl chloride were involved in the derailment “and have been exposed to fire,” and at least one “is intermittently releasing the contents of the car through a pressure release device as designed.”

“At this time we are working to verify which hazardous materials cars, if any, have been breached,” he said. The Environmental Protection Agency and Norfolk Southern were continuing to monitor air quality, and investigators would begin their on-scene work “once the scene is safe and secure,” he said.


Vinyl chloride, used to make the polyvinyl chloride hard plastic resin used in a variety of plastic products, is associated with increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute. Federal officials said they were also concerned about other possibly hazardous materials.


Mayor Trent Conaway, who earlier declared a state of emergency citing the “train derailment with hazardous materials,” said air quality monitors throughout a one-mile zone ordered evacuated had shown no dangerous readings.


Fire Chief Keith Drabick said officials were most concerned about the vinyl chloride and referenced one car containing that chemical but said safety features on that car were still functioning. Emergency crews would keep their distance until Norfolk Southern officials told them it was safe to approach, Drabick said.

“When they say it’s time to go in and put the fire out, my guys will go in and put the fire out,” he said. He said there were also other chemicals in the cars and officials would seek a list from Norfolk Southern and federal authorities.


Graham said the safety board’s team would concentrate on gathering “perishable” information about the derailment of the train, which had 141 load cars, nine empty cars and three locomotives. State police had aerial footage and the locomotives had forward-facing image recorders as well as data recorders that could provide such information as train speed, throttle position and brake applications, he said. Train crew and other witnesses would also be interviewed, Graham said.

Firefighters were pulled from the immediate area and unmanned streams were used to protect some areas including businesses that might also have contained materials of concern, officials said. Freezing temperatures in the single digits complicated the response as trucks pumping water froze, Conaway said.


East Palestine officials said 68 agencies from three states and a number of counties responded to the derailment, which happened about 51 miles (82 kilometers) northwest of Pittsburgh and within 20 miles (32 kilometers) of the tip of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.


Conaway said surveillance from the air showed “an entanglement of cars” with fires still burning and heavy smoke continuing to billow from the scene as officials tried to determine what was in each car from the labels outside. The evacuation order and shelter-in-place warnings would remain in effect until further notice, officials said.

Village officials warned residents that they might hear explosions due to the fire. They said drinking water was safe despite discoloration due to the volume being pumped the fight the blaze. Some runoff had been detected in streams but rail officials were working to stem that and prevent it from going downstream, officials said.


Officials repeatedly urged people not to come to the scene, saying they were endangering not only themselves but emergency responders.


The evacuation area covered 1,500 to 2,000 of the town’s 4,800 to 4,900 residents, but it was unknown how many were actually affected, Conaway said. A high school and community center were opened, and the few dozen residents sheltering at the high school included Ann McAnlis, who said a neighbor had texted her about the crash.


“She took a picture of the glow in the sky from the front porch,” McAnlis told WFMJ-TV. “That’s when I knew how substantial this was.”

Norfolk Southern opened an assistance center in the village to take information from affected residents and also said it was “supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross and their temporary community shelters through a $25,000 donation.


Elizabeth Parker Sherry said her 19-year-old son was heading to Walmart to pick up a new TV in time for the Super Bowl when he called her outside to see the flames and black smoke billowing toward their home. She said she messaged her mother to get out of her home next to the tracks, but all three of them and her daughter then had to leave her own home as crews went door-to-door to tell people to leave the evacuation zone.

50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio | AP News

Jesus. It does not matter if it is Russian or American or Pluto. If there is propaganda lying around, sabang will find it and roll it out in his clown car.

Utterly laughable.

BBBB

Build Back Better Biden. Live up to your promises. So what if your scumbag junkie son goes to jail?

Originally Posted by sabang

Live up to your promises. So what if your scumbag junkie son goes to jail?

Sure, it's OK to hate Trump isn't it? Bit passe' though.












I think this is a whole lot more significant than what appears to be a Chinese meteorological balloon gone awry.

Originally Posted by bsnub

Jesus. It does not matter if it is Russian or American or Pluto. If there is propaganda lying around, sabang will find it and roll it out in his clown car.

Utterly laughable.

It's no surprise he's parroting Fox News now, is it?

Would you prefer RT? OK.

Two more trains derail in US


The back-to-back accidents come days after another freighter carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in Ohio


FILE PHOTO: The cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio, continues on February 9, 2023 © AP / Gene J. Puskar


One man was killed following a collision with an oncoming train in southeastern Texas, causing more than a dozen cars to derail in one of two similar accidents on Monday. Another incident in South Carolina saw three cars come off the tracks.

The crash occurred in Splendora, Texas early Monday morning, according to the East Montgomery County Fire Department. While the authorities do not know how the collision with the 18-wheeler truck took place, local media have identified the victim as Michael Floran, 57.

“When the train impacted the cab it drug the trailer, cab, and everything all down the tracks about a half mile down the tracks,” Splendora Police Chief Wally Wieghat said. “The 18-wheeler was totally destroyed. It’s just pieces of it scattered up and down the railroad track.”

At least 21 cars operated by Union Pacific were derailed in the incident, leaving a portion of the tracks destroyed. Some of the cars were carrying household chemicals and a hazmat team has been called in to ensure there is no threat to emergency workers, police spokesman James Teller told a local news outlet.

��#BREAKING: Emergency Crews Respond To Deadly Train Derailment Near Houston⁰⁰��#Houston | #Texas⁰⁰Officials are now responding to another deadly train derailment near Houston, TX. Over 16 rail cars, carrying “hazardous materials”crashed, prompting Union Pacific to monitor…

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1625253862100594712pic.twitter.com/8iiA8NFvmC
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 13, 2023

Footage of the scene was captured by local media, showing a pile-up of railcars as well as a fleet of police vehicles and fire trucks.

BREAKING: Another train derailment in South Carolina, the SECOND one this month. Something seems fishy! pic.twitter.com/ao9Z624d7k
— Preston Parra (@ThePrestonParra) February 13, 2023

Enoree, South Carolina also saw a derailment on Monday, with at least three cars coming off the tracks. No injuries were reported in the incident, however, and all of the cars were said to remain upright, with “no leaks or spills of any kind,” according to a reporter with a local NBC affiliate. Workers from CSX rail are nonetheless on the scene to inspect the railcars.

READ MORE: Train carrying hazardous chemicals derails

The accidents follow a major derailment involving trains carrying hazardous chemicals in the town of East Palestine, Ohio on February 3. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate the area for several days as clean-up crews worked to decontaminate the site, with environmental officials saying they could not detect any toxic substances in the area as of Sunday.

https://www.rt.com/news/571439-us-two-trains-derail/

I mean, it's not like they are HSR trains now, is it? The USA doesn't have any. BBBB.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

It's no surprise he's parroting Fox News now, is it?

Posting up fake photoshopped pics too. This shit thread needs to go to the doghouse real quick, like.

Unlike, say, the Chinese weather balloon stuff.

Originally Posted by sabang

Unlike, say, the Chinese weather balloon stuff.

Nothing you post anymore has even a shred of credibility, and it has been that way for some time. You are a full on trumpanzee/Putin knob gobbler/useful idiot.

You never go far from your clown car.

Avideo showing the moment a NewsNation reporter was arrested by Ohio police on Wednesday while live broadcasting during a press conference about last Friday's train derailment in East Palestine has gone viral on social media, with many asking for an explanation.

The reporter, Evan Lambert, was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, Lt. Seth Fraser of the Columbiana County Jail in Ohio said. According to several reports, the correspondent was arrested for being too loud after all reporters present were asked to remain quiet while Ohio Governor Mark DeWine, a Republican, was speaking.



of the incident shared on social media, the NewsNation reporter can be seen face to the ground as two officials restrain him. He's then accompanied out by the same two officials while handcuffed.


Smoke rises from a derailed cargo train in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4, 2023.

A NewsNation reporter broadcasting from a press conference on the incident on Wednesday was arrested by local police.

"Doing a live shot gets you arrested in America in 2023," Lambert said. "I got arrested because I was trying to do a live report about what people need to know," he added.

NewsNation's Washington Bureau Chief Mike Viqueira told the channel's "On Balance" host Leland Vittert on Wednesday that Lambert behaved professionally while being "manhandled." He added that Lambert was talking very quietly to the camera and reporting on a "very critical story" of interest to the public.

��#BREAKING: NewsNation reporter has been taken into custody for doing a live shot at Ohio train crash press conference

��#EastPalestine l #OH

A NewsNation reporter was pushed to the ground and arrested during a news conference held by the Ohio governor about a train… https://t.co/QTej6948jx pic.twitter.com/Dkrc9pjZCD
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 9, 2023

"We know from the tape that he did nothing wrong," said Vittert, who said Lambert's arrest was "stunning" to him.

Commenting on Lambert's arrest, NewsNation host Nichole Berlie—with whom Lambert was talking during the live shot—

she was struggling to understand how the correspondent was found to be trespassing when he was "a journalist doing his job in a room full of other journalists doing their job."

It appears a NewsNation journalist was arrested inside the gym where the Ohio gov. is holding a press briefing. We saw him being taken out in cuffs. Someone who knows him who works for CBS Cleveland tells me he was doing a live report, was told to leave, and then arrested. @WTAE pic.twitter.com/ua75KPyoFn
— Mike Valente (@ValenteWTAE) February 8, 2023

Former Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee told NewsNation that Lambert's arrest was "completely baffling" and "makes absolutely no sense." He added that disorderly conduct is usually a catchall for contempt of cops, but even not knowing what happened off camera, the arrest of the journalist didn't make any sense.

Governor DeWine said that Lambert's arrest is nothing he authorized and added that he's fine with people doing a live broadcast while he's talking during a press conference. "I'm certainly very, very sorry that that happened," he said. I don't know all the facts but he or she—whoever was arrested—had every right to be reporting and do what they do every single day."

https://www.newsweek.com/moment-repo...-viral-1780003

Originally Posted by sabang

Avideo showing the moment a NewsNation reporter was arrested by Ohio police

Most of whom are right wing and trumpanzee like you. I am sure they had their reasons for arresting the clown. More trash for the doghouse here.

Has President Biden made a statement on the matter(s)? Both the train catastrophe, and the arrest and charging of the journalist?

The chinkies are positively gloating over this story, which is presumably why sabang is parroting the rubbish.

Of course we're supposed to believe the lying chinky bastards and world's biggest polluter have never had a chemical spill.

LEAST BIASED



These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes). The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources.

• Overrall, we rate NewsNation Least Biased based on minimal editorializing of content and reasonable balance with story selection. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a reasonable fact-checking record

• https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/newsnation/

Nice one 'arry.

You fail to acknowledge there were other journalists participating. This man was singled out because he was doing a live broadcast and being loud while the press conference was underway.

Also, this is not an unknown incident in the US. This is big news that is still unfolding.

Norfolk Southern will not attend Wednesday town hall on East Palestine train derailment

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP/KDKA) — The Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment and the intentional burning of some of the hazardous chemicals on board has invited affected residents to a town hall meeting Wednesday evening to discuss lingering questions.


Hours before the town hall meeting, rail operator Norfolk Southern said it will not be in attendance. In a statement at 4:38 p.m. on Wednesday, the company said it has become "increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties."


And there are still plenty of lingering questions about the huge plumes of smoke, the persisting odors, the reports of sick or dead animals, the potential impact on drinking water, all the cleaning up. Even as school has resumed and trains are rolling by again, things aren't the same.


In and around East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, people are asking whether the air and water around them is safe for people, pets and livestock. They want assistance navigating the financial help the railroad offered hundreds of families who evacuated, and they want to know whether it will be held responsible for what happened.


Norfolk Southern announced Tuesday that it is also creating a $1 million charitable fund to help the community of some 4,700 people while continuing remediation work, including removing spilled contaminants from the ground and streams and monitoring air quality.

It also will expand how many residents can be reimbursed for their evacuation costs, covering the entire village and surrounding area.


"We will be judged by our actions," Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement. "We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimbursing residents affected by the derailment, and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive."


No one was injured when about 50 cars derailed in a fiery, mangled mess on the outskirts of East Palestine on Feb. 3. As fears grew about a potential explosion, officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast had the area evacuated and opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.


A mechanical issue with a rail car axle is suspected to be the cause of the derailment, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it has video appearing to show a wheel bearing overheating just beforehand. The NTSB said it expects its preliminary report in about two weeks.


Misinformation and exaggerations spread online, and state and federal officials have repeatedly offered assurances that air monitoring hasn't detected any remaining concerns. Even low levels of contaminants that aren't considered hazardous can create lingering odors or symptoms such as headaches, Ohio's health director said Tuesday.


Precautions also are being taken to ensure contaminants that reached the Ohio River don't make it into drinking water.


Norfolk Southern's full Wednesday statement can be found below:


"Today, we hoped to join local, state, and federal officials at a town hall to update the East Palestine community on the steps we are taking to thoroughly, responsibly, and safely clean up the accident site and to provide the latest results from ongoing water and air testing. We also wanted to be available to provide information on resources from our Family Assistance Center.


"At the same time, we know that many are rightfully angry and frustrated right now. Unfortunately, after consulting with community leaders, we have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties. With that in mind, Norfolk Southern will not be in attendance this evening. We want to continue our dialogue with the community and address their concerns, and our people will remain in East Palestine, respond to this situation, and meet with residents.


"We are not going anywhere. We are committed to East Palestine and will continue to respond to community concerns through our Family Assistance Center and our hotline for citizens to ask questions regarding return to home and health questions. We also plan to look for other opportunities to update residents on our actions over the coming days. We encourage all residents who have questions, concerns or need assistance to contact our Family Assistance Center at 800-230-7049."

Norfolk Southern will not attend Wednesday town hall on East Palestine train derailment - CBS Pittsburgh

a $1 million charitable fund to help the community of some 4,700 people

Their lawyers bill alone will eclipse that- some 'charity'. If they are not adequately insured, they may be headed for Chapter 11.

Originally Posted by sabang

LEAST BIASED



These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes). The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources.

• Overrall, we rate NewsNation Least Biased based on minimal editorializing of content and reasonable balance with story selection. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a reasonable fact-checking record

• https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/newsnation/

Nice one 'arry.

You're as dumb as a fucking rock.

A flashpoint occurred on Sept. 22 when NewsNation anchor Joe Donlon had an exclusive sit-down interview with Trump at the White House, a rarity for TV journalists not from his favored outlet, Fox News. Compton helped secure the sit-down, which was disclosed to viewers.

There was outrage in the newsroom when the version of the interview that aired appeared to give a free pass to Trump, with softball questions and minimal pushback. Two Nexstar insiders not authorized to discuss the matter publicly said Donlon was not involved in the editing of the interview and was unhappy with the final product.

One question that ended up on the editing room floor was what Trump planned to do if he lost the election, a legitimate query as he was behind in the polls and ultimately defeated by President Biden in November. Many believed that Trump’s spreading of disinformation about the election helped fuel the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-04-28/nexstar-unbiased-newsnation-struggling-viewers-fox-news

Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment

Before this weekend’s fiery Norfolk Southern train derailment prompted emergency evacuations in Ohio, the company helped kill a federal safety rule aimed at upgrading the rail industry’s Civil War-era braking systems, according to documents reviewed by The Lever.

Though the company’s 150-car train in Ohio reportedly burst into 100-foot flames upon derailing — and was transporting materials that triggered a fireball when they were released and incinerated — it was not being regulated as a “high-hazard flammable train,” federal officials told The Lever.

Documents show that when current transportation safety rules were first created, a federal agency sided with industry lobbyists and limited regulations governing the transport of hazardous compounds. The decision effectively exempted many trains hauling dangerous materials — including the one in Ohio — from the “high-hazard” classification and its more stringent safety requirements.

Amid the lobbying blitz against stronger transportation safety regulations, Norfolk Southern paid executives millions and spent billions on stock buybacks — all while the company shed thousands of employees despite warnings that understaffing is intensifying safety risks. Norfolk Southern officials also fought off a shareholder initiative that could have required company executives to “assess, review, and mitigate risks of hazardous material transportation.”

The sequence of events began a decade ago in the wake of a major uptick in derailments of trains carrying crude oil and hazardous chemicals, including a New Jersey train crash that leaked the same toxic chemical as in Ohio.

In response, the Obama administration in 2014 proposed improving safety regulations for trains carrying petroleum and other hazardous materials. However, after industry pressure, the final measure ended up narrowly focused on the transport of crude oil and exempting trains carrying many other combustible materials, including the chemical involved in this weekend’s disaster.

Then came 2017: After rail industry donors delivered more than $6 million to GOP campaigns, the Trump administration — backed by rail lobbyists and Senate Republicans — rescinded part of that rule aimed at making better braking systems widespread on the nation’s rails.

Specifically, regulators killed provisions requiring rail cars carrying hazardous flammable materials to be equipped with electronic braking systems to stop trains more quickly than conventional air brakes. Norfolk Southern had previously touted the new technology — known as Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brakes — for its “potential to reduce train stopping distances by as much as 60 percent over conventional air brake systems.”

But the company’s lobby group nonetheless pressed for the rule’s repeal, telling regulators that it would “impose tremendous costs without providing offsetting safety benefits.”

That argument won out with Trump officials — and the Biden administration has not moved to reinstate the brake rule or expand the kinds of trains subjected to tougher safety regulations.

I'm gonna dust off my corporate forensic gloves, and see what dirt might be found on this company, and whatever cartel it belongs to. Ralph Nader, eat yer heart out.��

Why are you turning this into your usual anti-American bullshit, sabang?

It's now bsnub's turn to ask you why you are commenting on a country you don't know and don't live in, nor ever have.

You wouldn't be an utter hypocrite, would you . . .