“FEMA and the State of Ohio have been in constant contact regarding emergency operations in East Palestine. U.S. EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and Ohio EPA have been working together since day one,” DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas Sivak said in a joint statement.
A freight train operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad derailed in the town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border earlier this month. Materials spilled in the derailment included vinyl chloride, a hazardous substance used in the production of plastic.
While state and federal officials have said the local air and water is safe for humans, at least 3,500 fish have died in local waterways, and both DeWine and EPA Administrator Michael Regan have recommended the use of bottled water.