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Ohio train derailment: East Palestine residents angry after Norfolk Southern skips town hall meeting

Norfolk Southern leaders cited the 'growing physical threat' to its employees as the reason for opting out of the meeting.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — It has been 12 days since the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, but many questions are still swirling around the situation in the days following a controlled release of chemicals amid explosion concerns.

One week after an evacuation order was lifted, residents in the impacted area were given the opportunity to address their concerns at a “Town Hall Informational Meeting” and Q&A inside the East Palestine High School auditorium.

RELATED: What we can VERIFY about the East Palestine train derailment

It was standing room only inside the gymnasium as residents were lined up demanding answers about what happens next with their water supply and their future overall.

However, one key group was missing from Wednesday night's meeting. 

In a release, Norfolk Southern announced that they would not be attending the town hall because "we have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties."

“We all just want answers," said Kathy Dyke, who was among hundreds of residents at the meeting. "The railroad should be here answering questions. That would ease a lot of people’s minds to figure out what their next step is.”

Despite opting not to appear at the town hall, Norfolk Southern says it plans to finish its clean-up responsibilities. "We are not going anywhere. We are committed to East Palestine and will continue to respond to community concerns through our Family Assistance Center and our hotline for citizens to ask questions regarding return to home and health questions," the company said in its release.

"It's not Norfolk Southern here," said East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway. "It's the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) who's been working with us trying to get the citizens back in their homes safe. They (Norfolk Southern) screwed up our town. They're going to fix it."

You can read the entire release from Norfolk Southern below:

"Today, we hoped to join local, state, and federal officials at a town hall to update the East Palestine community on the steps we are taking to thoroughly, responsibly, and safely clean up the accident site and to provide the latest results from ongoing water and air testing. We also wanted to be available to provide information on resources from our Family Assistance Center.

At the same time, we know that many are rightfully angry and frustrated right now. Unfortunately, after consulting with community leaders, we have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties. With that in mind, Norfolk Southern will not be in attendance this evening. We want to continue our dialogue with the community and address their concerns, and our people will remain in East Palestine, respond to this situation, and meet with residents.

We are not going anywhere. We are committed to East Palestine and will continue to respond to community concerns through our Family Assistance Center and our hotline for citizens to ask questions regarding return to home and health questions. We also plan to look for other opportunities to update residents on our actions over the coming days. We encourage all residents who have questions, concerns or need assistance to contact our Family Assistance Center at 800-230-7049."

During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff addressed concerns about air quality in the area, saying tests show levels remain normal.

"People should be confident that multiple agencies — both at the state and national level — are very serious about this, are watching very closely, are not allowing any wiggle room when it comes to safety," Dr. Vanderhoff said.

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But what about the water? Is it safe to drink?

On Wednesday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced that tests have revealed the municipal water in the village of East Palestine is safe to drink. However, those East Palestine residents who receive their drinking water from private wells are advised to schedule an appointment for well testing by an independent consultant.

Last week, Gov. DeWine announced the decision to conduct the controlled release when he noted the contents of five rail cars were “currently unstable and could potentially explode, causing deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes."

The EPA also shared the following update on Tuesday:

On the evening of Feb. 13, U.S. EPA discontinued air monitoring for phosgene and hydrogen chloride community air monitoring. After the fire was extinguished on Feb. 8, the threat of vinyl chloride fire producing phosgene and hydrogen chloride no longer exists. U.S. EPA will continue 24-hour community air monitoring for other chemicals of concern.  

As of end of the day February 13th, U.S. EPA has screened indoor air at 396 homes, with 100 homes remaining, and 65 homes on the schedule for today.

EPA Director Michael Regan is scheduled to visit East Palestine on Thursday.

Editor's Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story

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