EAST PALENSTINE, Ohio — Zsuzsa Gyenes and her family are still living in a hotel near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border some 80 days after the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment and they hope financial support will soon improve.
Gyenes told News 5 concerns over contamination at her East Palestine home continue and she believes financial reimbursement decisions at theNorfolk Southern Family Assistance Center in New Waterford Ohio need to be standardized.
Gyenes said she has a long drive to get to the family center to pick up her hotel reimbursement and is hoping the railroad will soon open a family center in East Palenstine, because not everyone who needs help can make the drive to New Waterford.
“You physically have to go in there, I have to drive one hour to get there and then hopefully get a ticket to get in because if you don’t get there in time and too many show-up that morning you don’t get in that day," said Gyenes. "They should have some kind of bullet list as to what is covered and what’s not because there’s a lot of confusion there.”
Gyenes said she and other East Palestine residents are never sure what expense will be reimbursed.
“Some people are getting turned down for food, some people are being reimbursed for food, some people have a limit for gas, some people don’t," said Gyenes. “Some people are being told their being reimbursed for their furniture and things inside their home, I was told that I would not be, that it would be coming in a future claim if I was to pursue a lawsuit.”
Ted Murphy, who said he had to move from his East Palestine home located 500 feet from the derailment site, told News 5 he's had a good experience at the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center but said both the railroad and the EPA Community Welcome Center have yet to help get the well at his new home tested for contamination.
“I was reimbursed for lost time, I was reimbursed for the cost of moving factors, Norfolk Southern has been outstanding with me that way," said Murphy. “But my well has not been tested, so come get my well tested, it’s been from the 16th through the 21st that I made multiple calls, I went to the EPA office three times, they’ve called from there and I still don’t have it tested."
News 5 is still waiting for a response from the EPA, however Norfolk Southern responded immediately to our story. The company said it hopes to set-up a new family center in East Palestine by this coming summer and issued the following statement:
We continue to work with residents on reasonable reimbursements related to the derailment, and I’d like to take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to this community. To date, we’ve provided direct assistance to 6450+ households. We continue to work with impacted residents through the Family Assistance Center, which will remain open as long as the community needs it. Nearly $30 million has been committed to these communities at this point.
The Family Assistance Center was originally established at the community center in the East Palestine park, and then moved to Abundant Life when the evacuation order was adjusted. We’ve been making house calls to any resident who is unable to make it to the FAC as well. We are in the process of acquiring a space in-town to relocate the FAC to as well.
Meanwhile, Ted Murphy is hoping the EPA and Norfolk Southern will follow though on their environmental clean-up and financial assistance commitment in 2023 and beyond.
"For me it was an upside-down world, moving, packing and throwing things away," said Murphy. “Hopefully it’s all good, hopefully it’s all good, I hope that they stand and do what they need to do.”
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