Jessica Conard, her husband Chad Conard, and their children, Noah, Jagger, and Rhys, outside their home in East Palestine. The Conards are skeptical that it is safe in East Palestine following a toxic train derailment.
Photographer: Nate Smallwood/BloombergClimate Politics
Months After a Toxic Train Derailment, East Palestine Is Fracturing
In the Ohio town where a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in February, recovery efforts are undercut by lingering uncertainty.
The Norfolk Southern Corp. train was on fire when it passed Jessica Conard’s backyard in East Palestine, Ohio. Conard was lying in bed, blinds closed, unaware of the catastrophe barreling into her hometown.
“My first realization that something was up is when I heard all of the sirens,” she said. “The sirens went up and down the road, all night long.”