Let’s rewind to Friday, February 3rd, when a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, caused a massive fire and subsequent explosions.
BREAKING: Train Derailment Near Ohio-Pennsylvania Border Causes Massive Fire, Multiple Explosions
According to reports, the train was carrying around 100 oil tanker cars when it derailed and crashed into a gas station.
Anyone within a 1-mile radius of the derailment site was under mandatory evacuation.
The train was shipping cargo, including hazardous materials, from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania.
Here's some of the footage the night of the train derailment:
Train derailment has caused a massive fire and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio, which is NW of Pittsburgh
The train was carrying more than 100 oil tanker cars when it derailed and crashed into a gas station.Nearby neighborhoods are under mandatory evacuation. pic.twitter.com/ZVLjiwb8jJ
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 4, 2023
🚨#BREAKING: Train derailment sparks massive explosion⁰⁰📌#EastPalestine | #Ohio
Currently, multiple emergency crews are responding to reports of a major fire caused by a tanker train derailment leading to multiple explosions. All residents nearby are now being evacuated pic.twitter.com/LUWqegoQnn
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 4, 2023
#BREAKING: A massive fire continues to burn out of control in East Palestine, Ohio near the Beaver County border after a train derailment. A 1-square mile zone around the derailment has been evacuated. @KDKA #SjyEye2 https://t.co/y8ZM8o5FQ7 pic.twitter.com/fpISlS2wwm
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) February 4, 2023
Here’s a closer view of the #trainderailment fire through my photographer’s lens #EastPalestine #Ohio @KDKA pic.twitter.com/0zGFoH04A9
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) February 4, 2023
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway declared a state of emergency:
The mayor of East Palestine has declared a State of Emergency after a train derailment caused a massive fire t Friday nighthat is still burning into Saturday morning. https://t.co/PdB5S6ftYp
— fox8news (@fox8news) February 4, 2023
“The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern freight train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio. Member Michael Graham will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team is expected to arrive today,” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tweeted.
The NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern freight train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio. Member Michael Graham will serve as spokesperson on scene. Team is expected to arrive today.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) February 4, 2023
The situation has gone from bad to catastrophically worse.
And the mainstream media has refused to touch this story.
Authorities reportedly released polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other toxic chemicals into the air.
PVC is considered one of the most harmful environmental toxins.
From Inside Climate News:
The flames and deadly black smoke that billowed high over a small town on the Ohio and Pennsylvania border Monday were an acute reminder of a type of commonly used plastic with a particularly troublesome environmental and health record.
To prevent exploding rail cars, flying shrapnel and the uncontrolled release of killer gases, authorities vented vinyl chloride, a precursor of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, and then burned the vinyl chloride in what officials described as a controlled manner, following Friday’s 50-car Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailment near East Palestine, Ohio, about 55 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
Greenpeace calls PVC 'The Poison Plastic':
PVC is the most environmentally damaging plastic. The PVC lifecycle -- its production, use, and disposal -- results in the release of toxic, chlorine-based chemicals. These toxins are building up in the water, air and food chain.
The result: severe health problems, including cancer, immune system damage, and hormone disruption. No one can escape contamination: Everyone, everywhere has measurable levels of chlorinated toxins in their bodies.
The East Palestine derailment is considered one of the worst disasters in U.S. history, and there has been a media blackout.
Police have arrested reporters attempting to cover the story.
Reporter Arrested After Filming Ohio Train Crash Press Conference
The environmental aftermath from the "controlled release" of the chemicals is reportedly starting to show itself.
Fish are reportedly dead in waterways a couple of miles from the derailment site.
Residents allegedly can still smell chlorine and complained about their eyes watering when they go outside.
One woman reportedly said the toxic air killed her chickens.
Watch this video for a recap:
A train derailment in Ohio is currently emitting massive amounts of carcinogenic compounds into the air, this alone would be enough to be interesting but it seems there is more to the story. Norfolk Southern seems to be operating hand in hand with the government in this area,… pic.twitter.com/WZyNGIYKYX
— Mises Caucus (@LPMisesCaucus) February 12, 2023
The story allegedly goes deeper than the train derailment and involves rampant corruption to weaken federal safety rules on trains transporting hazardous materials.
The Lever explained:
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.”
Twitter user @FalconryFinance highlighted the shocking details of the East Palestine train derailment in this massive thread:
They didn't tell anyone that it's a five day evacuation
Oops all pets dead
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 10, 2023
This environmental devastation will be visible from space for decades pic.twitter.com/AemUee9tBI
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 10, 2023
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 10, 2023
We're in the 10-50 range. pic.twitter.com/pyRDTJATkl
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 10, 2023
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 10, 2023
EPA pic.twitter.com/qGBSlejkIL
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 10, 2023
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 11, 2023
The water is safe to drink but everything in it is suddenly dead pic.twitter.com/98G29t3ihM
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 11, 2023
https://t.co/AyxxV1HfGS pic.twitter.com/ZifkbxTc24
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 11, 2023
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 12, 2023
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 12, 2023
They're stopping and detaining the media, continued pic.twitter.com/ueCU13PvCt
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 12, 2023
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 12, 2023
Dioxins are forever chemicals and a small amount concentrates in higher order animals. Like people. This chemical catastrophe is absolutely going to drop life expectancy in Ohio and Pennsylvania for generations. And animals carry it away after ingesting it. When THEY'RE ingested. pic.twitter.com/gaIPlPFqqN
— UAE Exotic Falconry & Finance𓅃 (@FalconryFinance) February 12, 2023
The Twitter thread is also available to read on Thread Reader.
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