First on CNN: Federal teams providing flyers to East Palestine families and conducting health surveys following toxic train wreck

By Sam Fossum, CNN

Federal teams are going door-to-door to check in with residents of East Palestine, Ohio, and conducting health surveys as part of the federal government’s response to the toxic train derailment that has fueled anxiety about the safety of the air and water in the town, according to a White House official.

The teams are providing informational flyers with federal and local resources and completing the surveys after President Joe Biden directed the move, according to the official.

This latest step comes as frustrated locals in East Palestine complain about feeling sick and raise long-term health concerns after the Norfolk Southern train wreck earlier this month caused toxic chemicals to seep into the water, air and soil.

The two-page flyer, obtained first by CNN, includes emergency resources for residents as well as details on how to schedule a free health assessment or arrange testing for a private well or drinking water. It also includes the number of a dedicated poison control hotline for questions related to the train derailment, and details on the next federal US Environmental Protection Agency-led public meeting at 6 p.m. March 2 in the Palestine High School Auditorium.

The flyers are being handed out by members of the EPA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the goal of reaching 400 homes by Monday, according to the White House official. The health surveys are being conducted by the CDC.

Biden on Friday directed agencies to go door-to-door to check in with residents after he received an update on the federal government’s response to the derailment from senior officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and the heads of the EPA and FEMA, according to the official.

The President currently has no plans to visit Ohio and on Friday defended his administration’s response to the crisis, which has drawn criticism from Republicans, including East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, who told Fox News earlier this week that Biden’s decision to visit Ukraine while the situation was unfolding in Ohio was “the biggest slap in the face, that tells you right now he doesn’t care about us.”

“You know, we were there two hours after the train went down — two hours,” Biden told reporters on Friday. “I’ve spoken with every single major figure in both Pennsylvania and in Ohio, and so the idea that we’re not engaged is just simply not there. And initially, there was not a request for me to go out even before I was heading over to Kyiv, so I’m keeping very close tabs on it. We’re doing all we can.”

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary report on the investigation into the February 3rd train derailment, which concluded that the wreck in Ohio was completely preventable, and investigators now will begin examining the procedures and practices prior to the derailment.

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CNN’s Donald Judd and Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.