East Palestine and effective neighborliness

Hard to know what to say about the train derailment disaster that has polluted the Ohio town. I've written before about how oil and chemical shipments by long distance rail are tragedies waiting to happen. And also about how communities rally to try to keep these potential bombs out of their neighborhoods.

The news cycle has moved on from the immediate Ohio nightmare, but it was good to see the horror has evoked a residual comradely spirit among people who've experienced similar calamities. 

 

From the Washington Post:

On a late February evening in East Palestine, Ohio, Melissa Mays came in from out of town — from Flint, Mich. She had driven 300 miles, and she had a message for residents: You’re not alone.

... From towns affected by an accident or spill, and in neighborhoods adjacent to polluting facilities, thousands of Americans have faced contamination and the sense of catastrophe that East Palestine residents are contending with — often with less national attention.

In towns across the country — whether a cancer cluster near a railroad facility in Houston, lead pipes in Chicago or water contamination in towns near military bases from California to New York — many are still experiencing the effects. The responses often follow similar patterns, advocates said, and residents sometimes end up in years-long efforts to ensure cleanup and fight for stricter protections.

Now, an informal network of those activists has popped up to help East Palestine, where residents are concerned about chemical contamination, cleanup, health effects and whether it’s safe to live in town.

Since government's multiple layers and bureaucracies need to be herded into getting their job done, people who've been through that wringer know they need to help each other.

Religion News Service chronicles the observations of the Rev. Steve Court, a retired pastor who coordinates disaster response in the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church ...

“Centenary United Methodist Church, here in town, is the host of the EPA and railroad and other local offices. We’ve set it up as a coordination center,” he said. Two other churches are hosting a health clinic and a Norfolk Southern-sponsored family assistance center.

Diane Russell, a community involvement coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said local faith-based organizations are “key stakeholders” that are helping the EPA understand and meet the needs of folks on the ground.

Americans still demonstrate the instinct for collective self-help and self-organization which the traveling French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville marveled at in 1840:

"In the United States, as soon as several inhabitants have taken an opinion or an idea they wish to promote in society, they seek each other out and unite together once they have made contact. From that moment, they are no longer isolated but have become a power seen from afar whose activities serve as an example and whose words are heeded."