East Palestine Derailment 3 of 3

AmericaBreaking NewsOhioPhotographyPhotojournalismPhotojournalistPittsburghPoliticsEnvironment
Written By Justin Merriman

Purdue University professor Dr. Andrew Whelton, an expert on disasters, environmental chemistry, public health and water quality, climbs down the bank to take water samples of Sulfur Run on March 24, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio. The stream was heavily contaminated by the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Jet Walker, 13, holds a sign in front of his East Palestine home as President Biden drives by in his motorcade to visit the site of the Norfolk Souther train derailment on February 16, 2024.

George Rockenberger, 84, and his wife, Janet, sits on a bench as over 150 people wait in line for the Norfolk Southern Family Assistance Center to open on February 17, 2023 at the Abundant Life Church in New Waterford, Ohio. Residents who qualify can receive a $1000 payment as well as reimbursement to cover costs related to the evacuation from Norfolk Southern.

Tyson Tunno, 4, holds a coloring book ‘Coping After a Disaster’ that was given to him at the Health Resource Center in Darlington, Pa., on March 1, 2023. Tyson’s mother, Carly Tunno was visiting the center to have questions answered about soil contamination and possible testing. She has limited her children’s time outdoors with concerns after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The Pennsylvania Department of Health opened the center on Feb. 28 at the Darlington Township Building to see residents with concerns following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

People fill the auditorium of Blackhawk High School at the East Palestine Justice’s town hall meeting on March 23, 2023 in Beaver Falls, Pa. East Palestine Justice, a team of attorneys and activists headed by environmental advocate Erin Brockovich, has hosted several town halls in Ohio and Pennsylvania since the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine. Blackhawk High School, which is 9 miles from East Palestine, was evacuated over concerns of an explosion. A mandatory evacuation order was in effect for anyone living within one mile of the scene.

Courtney Miller, 35, stands near a pile of paperwork she’s gathered about the Norfolk Southern train derailment, as she stands in the kitchen of her home in East Palestine, Ohio on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Contractors with Norfolk Southern work on cleaning toxic chemicals from Sulphur Run on February 24, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.

The railroad tracks have been removed through an area that is being remediated as efforts continue the clean-up from the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment on March 15, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio.

Christa Graves, 49, of Unity Township pokes at Sulfur Run to see if she can still see the sheen on the one-year anniversary of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.

Snow falls along North Market Street as seen through the photographers windshield in East Palestine, Ohio on January 18, 2024.

Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement related to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.

The settlement, if approved by a court, would pay class action claims within a 20-mile radius of the accident and personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius.

Residents, many of which still complain about respiratory issues, anxiety, unexplained rashes, and nosebleeds, fear it isn’t enough and doesn’t take into account potential costs from long-term health impacts of the derailment that spilled more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air.

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Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.

After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.

In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.

Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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