Norfolk Southern Derailment Resources & Updates
Updated 12/8/23
Congressman Chris Deluzio represents Pennsylvania’s 17th District, including Darlington Township, Pennsylvania, a community that was impacted by and partially evacuated due to the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train cars in East Palestine, Ohio, just across the state line.
He is continuing to monitor the situation and is in continual contact with federal, state, and local agencies working on the issue. His top priority is to ensure the safety of western Pennsylvanians and to hold the railroad fully accountable for this disaster. The Congressman knows this incident is scary to a lot of people in our community, and he is going to fight to get to the bottom of these questions, particularly regarding staffing and safety policies that may have contributed to this terrible derailment.
RESOURCES FOR CONCERNED RESIDENTS
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) recently launched a Train Derailment Dashboard with information about the derailment and resources for Western PA residents.
- If residents have medical questions related to the train derailment, they can call the Pittsburgh Poison Center at 1-877-603-0170.
- If residents have further questions or concerns about possible exposure, they may call the CTEH Taggart Road Hotline at 234-542-6474 to speak with a toxicologist, or contact the PA Department of Health at 877-PA-HEALTH or env.health.concern@pa.gov
- If residents have additional questions about air, soil, and water quality, they can call the PA Department of Environmental Protection at 412-442-4000.
- If residents require additional assistance, including assistance with reimbursements, they can either visit the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center at Ain East Palestine at 191 East Rebecca Street, East Palestine, OH 44413, or call 1-800-230-7049 between 10am-6:30pm Monday through Friday or 10am-4pm on Saturday. They have one phone line, and calls are answered one at a time, so call back again if you do not get through.
- If residents need to contact Beaver County Emergency Services, they can call 724-773-6767.
Temporary Relocation Assistance:
Norfolk Southern announced they are ending their temporary relocation assistance services on February 9, 2024. The railroad cited major excavation and soil activities. For information about any of the support programs, residents may contact the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center (191 E. Rebecca St.) at 800-230-7049 during operating hours.. The center is open to residents Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 8 p.m. It is closed Saturday and Sunday.
In-Person Resources and Information:
FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER: Some resources are available to Western Pennsylvania residents at the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center in East Palestine. Their hours and more details are on their website. The address is below, and the hotline is 800-230-7049 (staffed from 10am-6:30pm Monday to Friday or 10am-4pm on Saturday). Their new address is 191 East Rebecca Street, East Palestine, OH 44413. Please note that the number does not have a call waiting, so if your call is not answered they recommend calling back again later.
NEARBY HOMEOWNER REIMBURSMENT: For months, Congressman Deluzio has been pushing Norfolk Southern to clean up their mess and help more residents hurt by its devastating derailment, especially in Western Pennsylvania. As of May 9, 2023, Norfolk Southern has agreed to compensate homeowners within 5 miles of the derailment for property value declines incurred after February 3rd, 2023.
Eligible residents who live within a 5-mile radius can submit a reimbursement claim through the East Palestine Family Assistance Center. Norfolk Southern has specific terms that must be met by applicants to qualify. Some more details are available here or at the Family Assistance Center. This is an important first step for those harmed by Norfolk Southern's toxic derailment. Congressman Deluzio will keep pushing to make sure the railroad makes people whole for every penny of pain this incident has brought to lives, livelihoods, and our community.
HEALTH CLINIC: Darlington Township residents in zip codes 16115, 16120, and 16141 with medical concerns are able to use the services at the permanent East Palestine health assessment clinic. More information on their hours and services can be found here. Residents call 330-383-6020 to make appointments.
DARLINGTON RESOURCE TABLES (concluded): The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided resources in-person from the PA Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Environmental Protection, and Dept of Health in Darlington Township during much of the month of March. These events have concluded and are no longer occurring at this time.
Water and soil testing:
DEP has been conducting independent water and soil sampling to closely monitor water contamination risks within a two-mile radius of the East Palestine derailment. Concerned residents who are beyond the two-mile radius may reach out to DEP to request testing by calling 412-442-4000. The first round of water sampling results shows no signs of groundwater contamination in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is contacting residents within a two-mile radius of the train derailment site to initiate water testing. Gov. Shapiro has continued to order soil and water testing, more updates here.
Water quality and testing is also being conducted by Norfolk Southern contractors, which can be requested through their hotline: (800) 230-7049.
At this time, municipal water sources are being tested and according to state environmental regulators it is safe to drink for Pennsylvania residents. This is because the water is being taken from far away water sources (11 miles and 10.5 miles away) and no contaminants have been found.
The EPA is investigating a small public water supply that is located along the Little Beaver River that utilizes spring sources. Although the springs are considered groundwater sources and do not pull from the Little Beaver River, out of an abundance of caution EPA is checking to be certain that the system was not impacted by the incident.
If you have private well water until you get it tested the recommendation is to NOT drink well water until your testing comes back as clean. Before the water testing please drink bottled water until the well water can be tested.
Monitoring wells are being drilled around the derailment site for sampling. PA Residents with concerns about private well water should contact the DEP Southwest Regional Office at 412-442-4000.
As of April 20, 2023, the EPA released results of its soil sampling in the area of East Palestine and Darlington Township, finding that there is little soil contamination from the chemicals related to February’s derailment. Under direct supervision of the EPA, and at the community’s request, Norfolk Southern tested soil in a one to two mile radius around the crash site. The levels of chemicals including vinyl chloride were very low in both shallow (impacted soil) and deep (non-impacted soil).
Air Testing: If you have concerns with air quality, the EPA is the agency in charge. They have daily air quality updates here and are monitoring the air continually. The data is also available on that site.
Constituents within the evacuation zone have been provided with home air testing. More details on that are outlined in the FAQ document for impacted residents from the EPA.
Residents can contact the EPA Hotline with questions: 215-814-2400. They are operating the hotline from 8am to 8pm EST. EPA has live people answering the calls through the weekend and holiday, but if people get a voicemail they should leave a message and EPA has said they will get a call back. EPA is really taking questions on air monitoring and EPA’s response actions at the site to-date and trying to route people to appropriate resources.
After the explosion of these substances, some residents have reported an odor, but EPA officials assure the public that continuous environmental monitoring has not detected any harmful air contaminants. You may call the CTEH Taggart Road Incident Hotline at (234) 542-6474 to be connected with a toxicologist to discuss any questions or concerns. You may also contact the local non-emergency service by calling 211.
Agriculture Hotline: The Dept of Agriculture has launched a hotline for concerned farmers and producers. Pennsylvania farmers and producers who were impacted by the train derailment and have questions or concerns can contact the hotline at 855-777-6735.
EPA Cleanup Order 10/19/23
EPA Orders Norfolk Southern to Conduct Additional Creek Investigation and Cleanup in East Palestine, Ohio, more information here.
Other resources: Please note that Congressman Deluzio has called on Norfolk Southern to expand the range of resources they provide to include more impacted residents in Beaver County. His office hasn't heard back as of 3/1/23, and therefore, he sent another correspondence with Senators Casey and Fetterman urging them to expand this assistance to PA residents on March 1st. While this page lists all of the resources the office is currently aware of, Congressman Deluzio is continuing to monitor the programs and resources provided by Norfolk Southern to ensure they meet the needs of the community in Western PA and are not just empty promises.
Relocation assistance for residents within the 1-mile evacuation zone: contact Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center: (800) 230-7049.
Relocation assistance if you’re outside the 1-mile evacuation zone: EPA recommends residents outside the 1-mile zone use the same Norfolk hotline: (800) 230-7049.
Value Assurance Program: A program run by Norfolk Southern for impacted homeowners in the area who want to sell their home/property to compensate any lost home value due to the derailment. More details here.
Beaver County resource: The Beaver County Emergency Services Public Inquiry Line is still up and running to triage questions or concerns: (724) 773-6767.
Emergency assistance on weekends and federal holidays: EPA recommends residents call 911 or the other hotlines listed above.
The Pittsburgh Poison Center established a hotline for health care providers and the general public. The Poison Control East Palestine Support Line is 1-877-603-0170 (press # for PA residents).
Soil contamination is being investigated by the EPA and if you have questions you can call the EPA hotline: 215-814-2400.
Wildlife/Livestock/Agriculture concerns these need to be reported to Beaver County EMS. The PA Dept. of Agriculture has been helping to answer questions on animals and wildlife.
NTSB, DOT, Labor, Worker Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration released its 143-page report on the Atlanta-based railroad's safety culture on August 9th, 2023. The report focused on how poor communication and mistrust between employees and managers are hindering Norfolk Southern’s efforts to improve safety, the report also said. The agency further questioned if the company is providing adequate training for employees and managers.
On June 22nd, the NTSB released a large tranche of documents related to their investigation of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH to coincide with their two-day investigative hearing on the ground in East Palestine. The videos of the hearings are posted here and the documents are available here.
On February 21st, the Department of Transportation issued a call for the railroad to increase safety and accountability.
The EPA also ordered Norfolk Southern to cover all costs of the cleanup and the response to the derailment.
Deluzio's office has received briefings from, and is in communication with the NTSB about the ongoing investigation into the crash and on a wide variety of concerns related to the safety, staffing, and mechanical issues that could have caused the derailment, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the status of the air, water, and soil quality of the evacuated area and the progress being made in inspecting each home within the evacuation area.
On March 2nd, NTSB provided an update into their investigation. February 14th, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Issued an Investigative Update on the derailment that is linked here. They are tasked with leading all investigative parties to determine what exactly caused the derailment and to evaluate the emergency response efforts. These full investigations typically last 12-18 months, but a preliminary NTSB report is expected by the end of February.
Legislative Updates and Work from Rep. Deluzio
On Feb. 28th he introduced legislation to improve rail safety. The DERAIL Act was his first bill introduced in Congress, and the first bill introduced in Congress in response to the East Palestine derailment.
On March 21st Rep. Deluzio introduced the House version of the Railway Safety Act of 2023 alongside Republican Congressman Nick Lalota (NY-01). This is a bipartisan companion bill to the Senate version introduced by Senators Brown and Vance. and is a comprehensive safety measure that includes two-person minimum staffing, ability to strengthen the definition of a high-hazard train, emergency responder training, and much more. On May 10th, 2023 the Senate version of this bill passed out of committee in the Senate on a bipartisan basis.
Congressman Deluzio visited the site of the derailment in East Palestine on February 16 and 21st. There, he met with EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Governor Shapiro, and other officials on behalf of his constituents. On 2/21, Congressman Deluzio was glad to join the EPA's announcement as they ordered Norfolk Southern to cover all costs of the cleanup and the response to the derailment. He has also been to Darlington Township and met with impacted constituents. Congressman Deluzio's office also hosted NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy in Beaver County and convened meetings between her and local officials as well as a rail worker.
On April 24th, he introduced the Assistance to Local Heroes During Rail Crises Act with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, which would require companies to pay back emergency responders for costs associated with train accidents in their communities.
On April 27th, Congressman Deluzio also signed onto a full PA delegation letter to Norfolk Southern's CEO calling on their company to improve communication with local first responders.
In May, Congressman Deluzio met with Norfolk Southern's CEO Alan Shaw in his Washington Office. In that meeting he made clear to Mr. Shaw that the railroad needs to make whole all residents of Beaver County harmed by the derailment, be a good partner in our community, and get on board with the bipartisan Railway Safety Act.
In the summer work period, Congressman Deluzio visited a farm in Darlington Township and held a press conference in the Township highlighting that his bill, the Railway Safety Act, currently has enough Republican cosponsors (from a wide range of ideologies) to have the bill pass the House with all Democrats in support. The only thing standing in the way is House Republican Leadership.
Biden Executive Order
On September 20, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order to protect the people in East Palestine, Ohio, and nearby communities, as well as to hold Norfolk Southern Accountable. A fact sheet is here and the full Executive Order is here.