Norfolk Southern, the train company that owned the train in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, backed out of a community meeting just hours before it took place, citing perceived threats to their safety.
The company was due to join officials on Wednesday at a town hall, where they would address the concerns of locals. Acknowledging that residents were “rightfully angry and frustrated,” Norfolk Southern decided to pull out of the meeting at the last moment. The company cited fearing the presence of “outside parties.”
“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,” the statement obtained by KDKA began.
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“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,” it continued.
The company noted that it was “not going anywhere” and that it would continue to work with locals to solve the problem.
“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,” the statement read.
In a Wednesday press release, Norfolk Southern noted the different things it was doing to help rectify the environmental hazard caused when its train, carrying large amounts of hazardous chemicals, derailed in East Palestine early in February. Specifically, it noted the abundance of air quality tests, water tests, $1.5 million in financial assistance to 1,000 local families, and a $1 million fund it has provided to the area.
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The company has come under harsh criticism from government officials who laid responsibility for the disaster at its feet. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) demanded on Wednesday that the company be held accountable and do more to help clean up the mess.
