On Wednesday afternoon, residents of East Palestine in Ohio gathered as they awaited a visit from former President Donald Trump.
The community had been impacted by a train derailment incident and subsequent chemical fallout that occurred on February 3. In response to the disaster, local and state authorities took swift action to evacuate all residents within one mile of the site and initiated a controlled burn of industrial chemicals present on the derailed vehicle to mitigate the risk of an explosion.
The derailment involved the release of vinyl chloride from five train cars. Vinyl chloride is a carcinogenic substance commonly used in PVC manufacturing. The incident resulted in large plumes of dark smoke spreading across the surrounding area, raising concerns about air and water quality for millions of people living in the Ohio River Basin.
Trump arrived and greeted residence of the area. Video released from his appearnce show a welcoming crowd and a “No More Joe” chant could be heard.
Locals have started chanting “No More Joe” as they await Trump’s arrival to East Palestine pic.twitter.com/RkhiHcfmzb
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) February 22, 2023
Locals have lined up awaiting Trump’s arrival.
One person has shown up with a “Trump is mentally ill” sign. Residents are not pleased. pic.twitter.com/mlaTSt5tkY
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) February 22, 2023
President Joe Biden has not yet visited East Palestine in the aftermath of the train derailment and chemical fallout incident. Instead, he made an unannounced trip to Ukraine on Monday to show support for the country’s ongoing war efforts against Russia. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that FEMA only granted a request for disaster recovery aid to East Palestine residents after former President Donald Trump announced his plans to visit the town. Trump highlighted this fact on social media.
