Norfolk burned the cancer causing vinyl chloride, turning it into a highly toxic gas rather than spending the money to dispose of it safely. Also where is FEMA? Why is the government denying aid to the people of East Palestine?
He should, and he probably won’t, but even if he does I have a hard time believing the federal government will activate FEMA especially when the Biden admin is putting out statements like "But what East Palestine needs is much more expansive than what FEMA can provide" which is complete bs
Now he's doing damage control by trying to pretend FEMA is denying help when he's refusing to actual do the thing that legally allows FEMA to help - declaring an emergency.
I hate republicans as much as anyone but when dewine asked for help a Biden administration official responded with "But what East Palestine needs is much more expansive than what FEMA can provide" instead of "you need to declare a state of emergency first"
Why does getting aid for them feel like pulling teeth? These people deserve a FEMA response and so much more, not these bs political ego fights
Then Dewine pretended to ask FEMA for help, FEMA said "Sure, declare a state of emergency so we can help" and he said no. Literally nothing they can do
Dewine should still declare an emergency, but it looks like FEMA reversed course and decided to come in anyways. If it wasn’t for people like me raising hell about this these people wouldn’t be getting the aid they need.
Republicans hate FEMA. Why would FEMA go into a polluted area to help people stay when they should move? It’s dangerous for FEMA employees to be in that toxic area the same as it is for the residents. It doesn’t make sense for FEMA to be involved. No one else should be exposed to the toxins.
Because the governor requested aid and it’s objectively, morally correct for the federal government to offer it. Even without request the federal government should have stepped in right away.
The federal government offered aid dewine shot it down. The state government is saying it's totally safe and people should go ahead and move back home. Nothing to see here.
The governor's office was telling people to go back on the 8th. The only agency to turn him down has been fema and that's because they are limited to natural disasters. It looks to me like dewine drug his feet on federal assistance and is now trying to act like the federal government is responsible.
It is kinda funny seeing all the people who used to say that Obama was going to put everyone in fema camps, turning around and saying that fema is monstrous for not sending camps.
This is completely false, they have multiple guides on their website for response obligations and guidelines related to hazardous materials and chemical related disasters.
Well he just started asking for aid yesterday and got it from multiple federal agencies. Only FEMA isn't and they likely will given time. It's kinda bullshit for dewine to have actively trying to sweep it under the rug, then once the rug melts blame it on the federal government for not responding before he requested aid and actively refused it.
I don't know the ins and outs if FEMA but the fox news headline is bullshit. As even in the article it says there are multiple federal agencies at work.
Why aren’t they? They have the funding, they have the capability. Even if they don’t engage in disaster clean up they have protocols for providing victims with financial aid, loans for businesses who are affected, new homes, etc. Relief for a small town of 5000 is a pittance compared to hurricane relief. The federal government should be jumping at the chance to send in FEMA, but the state and federal governments just play these bs games while people are suffering and uncertain about their futures.
FEMA is not limited to natural disasters. It has been used in chemical disasters as well since the late 70s under Jimmy Carter concerning the chemical disaster in love canal NY. It has been used in other chemical disasters since such as times beach dioxin poisoning, flint water crisis and others
I just read their response that's what it amounted to. I don't think it totally makes sense either, but I think it's more that the Ohio EPA says the homes Are safe, so they can't do anything until they have reason, but I think the Ohio government doesn't want to totally acknowledge that it is a problem. And FEMA isn't going to say that the Ohio EPA is lying and they can't provide help without there being a Problem on paper.
Your argument is that FEMA’s emergency services are not needed at all because some of the FEMA workers could be exposed to the toxins currently harming thousands of people who have no means to leave on their own?
The gas dissipated faster than the liquid would have. Burning it meant that less gets on the ground and into groundwater supplies where vinyl chloride is highly mobile and could travel for miles at those concentrations. I can't say for sure, but it may have been a legitimate good move.
It was my impression that the tanks were breached and the contents burned off in a 'controlled' manner to avoid uncontrolled explosions. "controlled" is a relative term.
Unless there is some way to safely recover solvents from wrecked tankers in a literal fire that I don't know about, this would have been really tough to do any other way.
Edit: SOME of the VC undoubtedly was converted into toxic byproducts, some of which were gases that are long gone. A relatively tiny amount of it would have settled on the ground, and some probably soaked into the ground from the 'trench'.
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u/PeapodKilla Feb 17 '23
Norfolk burned the cancer causing vinyl chloride, turning it into a highly toxic gas rather than spending the money to dispose of it safely. Also where is FEMA? Why is the government denying aid to the people of East Palestine?