By now, just about every single American is familiar with the unfortunate train derailment in Ohio that happened last month. Not only did this lead to a massive disaster for the rail industry, but it also led to a spill of noxious substances.
Residents of East Palestine are now faced with headaches, rashes, breathing problems, and other serious health issues. To make matters worse, the air is not necessarily safe to breathe. Some wildlife in the community is also being killed off.
Though as Ohio makes national news for very understandable reasons, many other Americans remain unaware of toxic chemicals being transported through their own communities on a regular basis, according to Daily Mail.
Unsettling News
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, millions of people across the United States have trains with dangerous chemicals moving through their own towns and cities. This means each and every one of these people is vulnerable to the disasters that could emerge from a train derailment.
To make matters worse, this information is intentionally kept quiet and not shared with the American people. The Federal Railroad Administration revealed that more often than not, rail companies only inform emergency services and local officials about these trains and their content.
Today, FRA issued a Safety Advisory on hot bearing detectors—calling on railroads to take actions to improve the use, inspection, & maintenance of such devices. This is one of several actions being taken to advance freight rail safety. https://t.co/VQ1CwYrHf7
— The FRA (@USDOTFRA) February 28, 2023
Before the train derailment in Ohio, this news may not have been all that disturbing.
However, in light of this derailment, the chemical spill, and the adverse impacts felt by East Palestine residents, the possibility of this being able to happen virtually anywhere in America is of serious concern.
Choas in the Aftermath
Right now, our nation’s leaders are struggling to handle the aftermath of the train derailment, let alone put the proper measures in place to halt a repeat occurence.
Thus far, Joe Biden has not yet been down to East Palestine to actually meet with folks there. Nearly one month after the incident, there are speculations that the president doesn’t have any plans of going to Ohio.
Hello, isn’t that your job?
— Amanda 😷🩺👩🏼⚕️🌻🇺🇦 (@oursharedvalues) February 28, 2023
Meanwhile Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg remains under fire. Buttigieg took his time visiting East Palestine, in the first place. Since he’s been down, many Americans aren’t satisfied with his response to the incident or measures he’s taking to restore order to the rail industry.
At the same time, Buttigieg continues to take heat over massive air travel problems that this nation has endured on his watch. The train derailment, however, has life or death consequences.
To this day, the Transportation Secretary continues to claim rail companies are not taking the necessary measures to prevent future disasters.
Are you concerned after finding out other trains with dangerous chemicals are being moved throughout the United States? Let us know in the comments area if you believe more disasters are coming later down the line.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
