Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) has issued an order to those living in East Palestine, Ohio, to quickly evacuate the area in the wake of temperature changes in the area of a train derailment that have sparked worries for the potential of a “major explosion” which could end up hurling sharp and deadly shrapnel through the area for an area the size of a mile from the site.
“East Palestine: Residents living within a mile of the train derailment site who have not yet left their homes are asked to immediately evacuate due to the potential of a major explosion,” explained DeWine via social media this past Sunday night.
East Palestine: Residents living within a mile of the train derailment site who have not yet left their homes are asked to immediately evacuate due to the potential of a major explosion. pic.twitter.com/F2BWmBipPx
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) February 6, 2023
DeWine attached a picture of a press release from his office in the social media post, claiming that the evacuation order applied to anyone who was residing within a mile radius of the site of the train derailment. “Within the last two hours, a drastic temperature change has taken place in a rail car, and there is now the potential of a catastrophic tanker failure which could cause an explosion with the potential of deadly shrapnel traveling up to a mile,” it stated.
“Although teams are working to prevent an explosion from happening, residents living within a mile of the site are advised to immediately leave the area,” the press release went on. “While most individuals in the one-mile radius have already evacuated, local officials say that more than 500 people have declined to leave their homes.”
DeWine also announced that would be bringing in units from the Ohio National Guard to help local police forces, adding that the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, and Ohio EPA were already in the area trying to deal with the scene.
The train ended up derailing this past Friday night in an area just to the south of Youngstown, Ohio, as indicated in the initial reporting — and close to 20 of the well over 100 cars were reported to be containing highly hazardous materials as their cargo.
A number of fires have been aggressively burning throughout the area of the derailment since this past Friday, but officials have been monitoring the fires very closely and trying to keep an eye out for any possible changes in the local water or local air quality. At first, an order for the public to shelter in place was put forth for the area of the town of East Palestine, but Governor DeWine has pushed for those who reside within a one-mile radius of the area to move out to safer climes.
