As an Ohioan, we should all be concerned about the incident in East Palestine. It could have happened anywhere along the route that train took, from where the train entered the state to the west, in Toledo, across through either Sandusky or Fremont (where I live just blocks from the train line), to the east through Mansfield or other cities. Ohio has over 9000 miles of railroad tracks, and many times hazardous chemicals are carried on them. Hazmat trucks must take specific routes, but hazmat trains are simply marked, and as we learned in East Palestine, many times the first responders don't know what is on board. Even the state officials were not clued into the best way to respond to the East Palestine incident (the controlled demolition was not the best response) and more damage was done after they acted. And sadly, people who turned to the government, state or federal, for help have been very disappointed.
It is incredible that we are at such an advanced stage in some ways and yet lack the brain power and/or technology to avoid or quickly resolve incidents like this.
As an Ohioan, we should all be concerned about the incident in East Palestine. It could have happened anywhere along the route that train took, from where the train entered the state to the west, in Toledo, across through either Sandusky or Fremont (where I live just blocks from the train line), to the east through Mansfield or other cities. Ohio has over 9000 miles of railroad tracks, and many times hazardous chemicals are carried on them. Hazmat trucks must take specific routes, but hazmat trains are simply marked, and as we learned in East Palestine, many times the first responders don't know what is on board. Even the state officials were not clued into the best way to respond to the East Palestine incident (the controlled demolition was not the best response) and more damage was done after they acted. And sadly, people who turned to the government, state or federal, for help have been very disappointed.
It is incredible that we are at such an advanced stage in some ways and yet lack the brain power and/or technology to avoid or quickly resolve incidents like this.