A new video featuring Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance running a stick through a creek bed near East Palestine where a train derailed carrying dangerous chemicals went viral after what came up to the surface, as it provides a revealing look at the magnitude of the damage that’s been done in the area. Folks, this is disturbing. What’s worse is the federal government doesn’t seem to be providing any sort of help for the folks in the area to help deal with the aftermath of the accident.
“Local and state authorities previously evacuated all residents within one mile of the derailment and started a controlled burn of industrial chemicals present on the vehicle to decrease the risk of an explosion, which could have sent shrapnel throughout the small town. Vinyl chloride, a carcinogen used to manufacture PVC, was released from five train cars last week in the form of massive plumes of dark smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania,” the Daily Wire reported.
The report said, “In footage posted by Vance on Thursday afternoon, the newly elected lawmaker stood next to a small creek in East Palestine. Beyond the ‘dead worms and dead fish’ he observed in the water, Vance used a stick to disturb the bottom of the creek; moments later, an oily sheen of chemicals emerged to the surface of the water.”
“This is disgusting,” the senator said in the video. “The fact that these chemicals are still seeping in the ground is an insult to the people who live in East Palestine. Do not forget these people.”
Visited a local creek in East Palestine today. These waterways are still very polluted. It’s time for Norfolk Southern to finish the cleanup. Check this video out: pic.twitter.com/4lsHBmrMJj
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 16, 2023
The video comes hot on the heels of federal and state authorities insisting the water in East Palestine is currently potable. The Environmental Protection Agency went on to say that “test results from the village’s municipal well sampling showed no water quality concerns,” while Republican Gov. Mike DeWine stated that tests completed by the state’s EPA revealed “no detection of contaminants in raw water from the five wells that feed into East Palestine’s municipal water system.” He then stated that the agency is “confident that the municipal water is safe to drink.”
I mean, if I saw the video above, I’d think twice about drinking the water there, wouldn’t you? Call me cynical, but I don’t believe a single word being spoken by the government, especially on the federal level. So much incompetence has oozed out of its pores over the last several years that it seems foolish to take them seriously on anything, let alone matters of health and safety. Does COVID ring a bell?
Tricia Macke, an anchor working for Fox 19, posted a similar video where she tossed a rock into a creek and made the chemicals come up to the surface.
“Would you stay here? Would you drink that water?” she asked her viewing audience. “Would you bathe your kids when it’s bubbling up and looking like an oil slick?”
You cannot deny – that water is not clean. @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/HjPFEtwijZ
— Tricia Macke (@FOX19Tricia) February 16, 2023
Vance then challenged EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who paid a visit to East Palestine on Thursday, to drink the water in East Palestine if the claim the water was safe is true.
“If I was living here, I would drink the bottled water for now. Better safe than sorry, especially because it’s being provided for free,” he went on to say to reporters. “That’s the advice I would give, and again, the residents are going to make their own decisions on this.”
“DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney said in a statement to Fox News that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA, rejected the state’s request for federal aid because the incident purportedly did not qualify for assistance. Ohio was able to receive some help through the Department of Health and Human Services to assist residents who need medical care as a result of the derailment and controlled burn,” the Daily Wire said.
The safety of the drinking water isn’t the only thing residents are concerned about in light of the accident. Folks living in the city have stated there is a lingering smell in the air, lots of dead animals, and various health issues popping up. One of the first responders on the scene spoke with the Daily Wire in an interview, saying he and several of his colleagues have experienced “bad cough, headaches, sore throat, and diarrhea” after assisting individuals in the community after the incident.
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