As a lifelong resident of East Palestine, which generations of his family have called home, Greg Mascher longs for the village he knew before Feb. 3, 2023.
“This town meant everything to me. It was a great place to live and raise a family. It was a great place to grow up,” Mascher told The Epoch Times on Jan. 31. “Most people even across Ohio couldn’t point to East Palestine on a map. I wish it could go back to the way it was but that’s not possible. Now, we have to wonder about an uncertain present and future.”
A youth basketball coach who is raising his granddaughters, Mascher’s house is a popular gathering spot where children play in the backyard and ride their bikes. He worries about their long-term safety because of the event that made East Palestine a household name.
Life in this village, located near the Ohio-Pennsylvania line, abruptly changed around 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2023. The crew of a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train carrying 151 cars saw smoke and fire, and realized that 38 cars had derailed. The flammable toxic chemicals in 11 derailed cars had ignited, with flames spreading to an additional 12 cars.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, nine cars were carrying hazardous materials in addition to the 11 derailed. […]
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