EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Residents of the village and other nearby communities affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment on Feb. 3, 2023, say they hope Vice President JD Vance will pledge further support for the community.
Dozens of people were lined up on North Market Street in advance of the vice president’s arrival Monday morning to commemorate the second anniversary of the derailment.
Jami Wallace, a former resident whose house was declared contaminated, now lives in East Liverpool. She has 47 family members who still live in the 1-mile zone of the derailment.
Wallace said she wants Vance to declare a federal disaster for the community, which would clear the way for health care assistance.
“I hope he declares that he is going to relocate residents that are still in contaminated homes, and I hope that he gives a lot more money to research, not just for our community but for every community where this happens,” she said.
Wallace said she and a group of other activists went to Washington to meet with officials, and Vance was among those who showed “true concern” for the victims.
“Now that he’s in a position to help us, I do believe he’s going to help us,” she said. “But at the end of the day, he’s still a politician, right? So who knows.”
Chris Macey of Enon Valley, Pa., said winds carried material from the explosion to his land, which is 1.78 miles from the derailment site.
“We’ve been pretty much ignored,” he said. “I worry about what fell on the ground.”
Laura Horne, whose family bought a house in East Palestine over the summer, had other concerns Monday.

“I am a little concerned about our Social Security at the moment,” she said. She was holding a sign referencing billionaire Elon Musk’s reported access to the information. “Why does this man who we did not elect, who has not been vetted by our FBI, CIA, anybody in our government – why does he have access to our Social Security right now? And what is the vice president planning on doing about it?” she said.
Pictured at top: Jami Wallace, a former resident of East Palestine.