Lee Hostetter lives a couple hundred yards outside the 1-mile evacuation zone from the East Palestine train derailment. His mailbox down the driveway is located within it.
Hostetter lives in Darlington Township, Pa., less than a half-mile from the Ohio border. But he said that since a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed on the Ohio side of the border on Feb. 3, the invisible line separating the two states has seemed to determine who gets help and who doesn’t.
“Nobody in Pennsylvania seems to be cooperating with us people. We hear all kinds of stuff going on with attorneys and people in Ohio, getting information,” he said. “But here, I’m right here and don’t hear nothin’. Nobody comes to see me or anything.”
In response to the concerns raised by these residents, Norfolk Southern responded to WESA in a short emailed statement: “Any Pennsylvania resident impacted by the evacuation is able to come to the Family Assistance Center for reimbursements for any expenses. If they were within the mandatory evacuation zone, they are eligible for the $1,000 payment.”
Last week, Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection will conduct independent water sampling near the disaster on the Pennsylvania side.