East Palestine residents were initially told Norfolk Southern train only ... trends now
Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, were initially told by authorities that the Norfolk Southern chemical train that derailed and exploded was only carrying malt liquor, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Newly emerged audio recordings of frantic 911 calls following the February 3 disaster show emergency dispatchers had at first reassured callers that there was no need to evacuate after being advised the train cars contained 'some type of drinking alcohol.'
But they would later learn five of the 38 cars were actually also carrying toxic substances including vinyl chloride, a gas used to make plastic, whose burning fumes have since left residents with respiratory problems and skin irritation.
East Palestine mayor Trent Conaway and Fire Department Chief Keith Drabick are seen addressing the public alongside members of the Ohio EPA and FEMA two weeks after the derailment
The February 3 disaster has had long-lasting environmental and health effects on the community after several Norfolk Southern train cars exploded and released toxic chemicals into the air
A man takes photos as a black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed trains on February 6
The 911 calls, obtained by DailyMail.com, lay bare the chaotic moments following the crash that resulted in miscommunication among emergency services, dispatchers, the railway company, and concerned citizens.
Such was the confusion that residents living within a mile of the derailment site were evacuated hours before the order was rescinded.
When one desperate grandmother called the fire department saying: 'If it's chemicals I want to go and get my granddaughter,' a dispatcher told her: 'They're not evacuating anymore, you're good'.
But according to officials, the erroneous reports and conflicting advice can be traced back to the Atlanta-based rail company's initial response to local authorities in the minutes after the crash.
East Palestine Fire Chief Brian Drabick told DailyMail.com that the dispatchers were working off information provided by Norfolk Southern at the time.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw is now facing a federal probe over the company's safety practices
Emails and text messages published by DailyMail.com last week revealed Drabick himself had to bear the brunt of the poor communication among local and federal agencies as he desperately tried to lead his community through the disaster.
The 911 recordings also raise fresh questions over already embattled Norfolk Southern Railway's safety practices and its response to the crash.
The derailment led to a horrific fire and a 'controlled burn' of the train cars containing vinyl chloride which sent a cloud of toxic gas over the city.
Dozens of fish were killed, half of the town's 5,000 residents were evacuated and some have never returned for fear the drinking water is contaminated.
Norfolk Southern is still being investigated by the NTSB, the accident regulator, which is also looking into the company's safety culture.
While malt liquor was indeed on the train that derailed, there was also the vinyl chloride which, according to a lawsuit filed by residents, released a chemical that was banned after WWI when it was set alight.
The 911 recordings show that within two hours of the derailment, a firefighter on the scene called dispatch to give an assessment of what they were dealing with.
The firefighter says: 'We have been advised the tankers are all malt liquor. We have been advised the tankers are malt liquor'.
A male voice on the dispatch line says: 'It's very, very chaotic, there were 30 cars of liquor that caught on fire.'
A few hours later a male resident called in asking what was in the train cars.
A female dispatcher turned to another person in the office and asked: 'What was in the front cars? Some type of alcohol? Was there hazmat on that train? Is there hazmat in the cars? What did they say was in the front of the train?'
After getting some answers, the dispatcher returns to the call and says: 'There was some type of drinking alcohol in the front. I'm not sure what was in the back'.
The 911 calls show that fire officials did reach out to Norfolk Southern within 10 minutes of the incident.
The company's operator had trouble understanding when she was told about the explosion at a Leake Oil gas station in East Palestine.
Fire Chief Brian Drabick told DailyMail.com that emergency dispatchers had gone off information provided by now embattled Norfolk Southern at the time
