Jim Stewart, who has lived in East Palestine, Ohio, for 65 years said he no longer feels safe in his town after railway in the first day of this month.
“I’m angry about this,” he told Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw.
“I don’t feel safe in this town now, you took it away from me. You took this away from us,” Stewart said.
He said he lives very close to the derailment site and despite air quality checks around his property, he says he’s “afraid of having to take my dog outside just to pee.”
Stewart said he feels a loss and worries about the value of his home and his ability to retire in the coming years.
“I don’t call it a derailment, I call it a disaster,” Stewart said.
“Now are you shortening my life? I want to retire and enjoy it. How are we going to enjoy it? You burned me,” he said. He talks about the uncertainty of whether it’s safe to do things around his house, from mowing the lawn to growing vegetables.
In response, Shaw said he will “get it right” by cleaning up chemicals, reimbursing residents and investing to improve the safety of trains.
