Train Derailment Evacuation Order Lifted

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine along with other officials announced Wednesday night that evacuated residents in and around East Palestine could safely return home.

Hundreds of residents evacuated their homes after a Norfolk Southern Railroad train carrying vinyl chloride derailed in Columbiana County on Friday night.

To avert a possible explosion, the railroad conducted a controlled release of the chemicals, which discharged toxic and potentially deadly fumes into the air.

The governor said air quality samples in the area of the wreckage and in nearby residential neighborhoods have consistently showed readings at points below safety screening levels for contaminants of concern.

Based on this information, state and local health officials determined that it was safe for community members to return to their residences.