East Palestine fiasco aftermath Harrison County responds: Part 1

BY CORNELIA GRACE

Harrison News-Herald Reporter

CADIZ—Most readers have probably heard about the train derailment that happened on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. Twenty of the train cars were carrying hazardous materials and suffered at least one mechanical failure before derailing on the outskirts of the village. The chemicals in the cars ranged from various vinyl chlorides to butyl acrylate. All of the chemicals involved are listed as flammable or combustible. The disaster has been a staple in national media since the beginning, with many Ohioans growing concerned about the fallout. East Palestine is about an hour from Harrison County, so the News-Herald sat down with Emergency Management Agency Director Eric Wilson to speak on the subject.

Does Harrison County have a plan if something similar were to happen here?

“There’s a lot we do behind the scenes to prepare for emergencies. Every county EMA in Ohio is required by law to have an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP). Our county plan is divided into annexes or chapters. They cover diverse events such as evacuation, chemical incidents, medical incidents, and so forth. Any exercise we participate in always has a corresponding annex that we refer to and guides us in our response. Utilizing plans, checklists, emergency response guides, etc., ensures that a total and complete response is accomplished. Nothing is left to guess about, nor do we have to ‘remember’ everything. If for some reason I am unable to assist in a response, my deputy director or someone else can pick up the plan and know exactly what is expected of them to