Candy Kiehl has lived in the same home in East Palestine her entire life. The house began as her grandparents鈥� home, then her parents鈥� and eventually hers.
But for the last eight months, Kiehl has lived in a Best Western Plus in Columbiana, about ten miles from East Palestine, only returning every two weeks to do laundry.
Now, she doesn鈥檛 know if it will ever be safe to come home.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 even take my grandkids over to my house,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid.鈥�
Kiehl worries about toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, that spilled and burned after a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed Feb. 3. Residents living in a one-mile radius were evacuated that night. Three days later, the evacuation area was increased to two miles when officials performed a controlled burn of vinyl chloride at the derailment site that created a huge plume of smoke over the area.
Norfolk Southern took over remediation of the derailment area, along with the streams involved, with supervision from the EPA. The train company is covering the cost of living for many displaced residents, including Kiehl.
But during the summer, the company began to crack down on who is receiving assistance. While Kiehl is confident she will be able to stay longer, the change has made her uneasy.
One such couple, Roger and Janet Walker, were living at the Davis Motel in North Lima until Norfolk Southern stopped paying for their room in late June.
The Walkers said they remain in fear of contamination that might be present at their home, but they live on Roger鈥檚 disability payments and could not afford the motel room on their own.
Norfolk Southern previously said it would continue to pay for the relocation of residents within the remediation zone. It did not respond to repeated requests for comment on why they stopped paying for the Walkers鈥� temporary housing.
Roger said he reached out to federal lawmakers for help. He said he won鈥檛 be quiet about his situation.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to stick up for myself,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to stick up for my wife and that upsets people. I鈥檓 happy about it.鈥�
Those still receiving assistance, like Kiehl, said they plan to stay at the hotel where they feel safe.
When she goes back to East Palestine, Kiehl said her lips and tongue tingle. While the EPA says air sampling has come back safe, everything unknown remains her biggest concern.
鈥淲e live behind the one creek that is contaminated,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow safe is my house? What else are you hiding? Why aren鈥檛 you telling us everything? It comes out in pieces, so you don鈥檛 know. You wait and see.鈥�
Even though she worries for the health of her family, Kiehl struggles with the idea of leaving East Palestine for good.
鈥淭hat was my family鈥檚 home. My grandparents鈥� home, my mom and dad鈥檚 home, my sister鈥檚 home. We bought it. We fixed it up,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow do you walk away from that? It鈥檚 where my mom passed away, it鈥檚 where my dad got sick and there鈥檚 so many memories. It鈥檚 hard.鈥�
'This is our family now'
While living at the Best Western, Kiehl found herself forming a new community with other residents in the same situation.
Mike Dugan, who lives less than a quarter of a mile from the derailment site in East Palestine, started daily meetings in the hotel lobby.
鈥淚 originated that. I said 鈥業 got to do something,鈥� so I told these guys, 鈥楬ey, 8 o鈥檆lock: coffee, hot chocolate, downstairs,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淪o we all started collecting downstairs. Even some of the housekeepers, when they鈥檙e done with work, they come back.鈥�
They talk about 鈥渆verything under the sun鈥� at the daily meetings. They catch up on what goes on in town and discuss new updates on the remediation.
Kiehl said this is the only good thing that came out of the derailment.
鈥淚 knew Mike from walking, but now we all become family,鈥� she said.
Dugan returns home about once a week to mow his grass and feed his cat, but he chooses to live in the hotel because of fears of long-term health effects.
鈥淵ou have that unknown in the back of your head all the time,鈥� he said. 鈥淎m I going to be sick five years, 10 years down the road from this crap? We don鈥檛 know.鈥�
Christina Dilworth lives a half mile from the derailment site. She stayed in her home following the disaster, occasionally living with her boyfriend, whose home is another mile out.
Dilworth began experiencing symptoms early on but thought they would go away when the site was cleaned up. Around late April she finally decided she couldn鈥檛 wait.
鈥淚 had this really bad rash on my face and I got sick. I got nauseated, I got headaches,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 got so sick and tired of being sick and tired.鈥�
Since moving into the Best Western, she has seen a dramatic improvement.
鈥淚 feel so much better,鈥� she said in May. 鈥淢y face is clearing up, it鈥檚 still a little bit there, but it鈥檚 so much smoother. I鈥檓 not nauseated, I haven鈥檛 had any headaches.鈥�
Dilworth said she appreciates how Norfolk Southern covered her expenses, but she never imagined needing that kind of help.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e trying, in a sense,鈥� she said. 鈥淪till, it's kind of frustrating that we have to depend on them to give us a place to live and food, you know, because we didn't ask for any of this.鈥�
Dilworth said she believes Norfolk Southern started cracking down on relocation payments because of people who abused it and weren鈥檛 actually living in hotels. She said she was reassured at an EPA meeting in July that her stay will continue to be covered.
鈥淭hat was my family鈥檚 home. My grandparents鈥� home, my mom and dad鈥檚 home, my sister鈥檚 home. We bought it. We fixed it up. How do you walk away from that?Candy Kiehl, displaced East Palestine resident
Dilworth estimates around 10 people from East Palestine remain at the Best Western. At its peak, she said she believes around half of the 52-room-hotel housed residents of East Palestine.
Dilworth said what has been most frustrating is not having all the answers about what will happen in town.
鈥淚鈥檓 nosy, I鈥檒l drive over by the site and say 鈥楬ey, what you doing there?鈥� Some will tell us exactly what鈥檚 going on and other ones, 鈥榃e鈥檙e not allowed to tell you,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like, this is our town. We have a right to know.鈥�
On top of unanswered questions, the timeline of the remediation is constantly changing. When crews started digging up contaminated dirt in March, residents expected it to be done within a few weeks, but eight months in, it is still unclear when the site will be clean.
Kiehl, Dugan and Dilworth sat together for breakfast at the Best Western on a Thursday morning in May. They talked, laughed and teased each other, despite being brought together under the worst of circumstances.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all bonded,鈥� Dilworth said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all been friends, but not like now. Now we鈥檝e become really close.鈥�
鈥淭his is our family now,鈥� Kiehl said.
This story was produced in partnership with the , a collaborative newsroom staffed by Kent State students.
