The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reversed its decision not to give disaster aid to East Palestine, Ohio, following a toxic train derailment on Feb. 3.
FEMA’s change of heart came after it was announced that former President Donald Trump will travel to East Palestine, the site of a toxic train derailment 2 weeks ago.
The Biden administration turned down a request by Gov. Mike DeWine for disaster assistance for East Palestine, amid growing environmental and health concerns.
The derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railways train carrying hazardous chemicals caused an environmental disaster, killing thousands of fish in nearby streams that flow into the Ohio River.
Residents were ordered to evacuate after the area was placed under a state of emergency. Air quality monitors have been placed around the village to test the air.
The Biden administration turned down Gov. DeWine’s request for disaster aide, despite giving $100 billion in American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine.
Residents were told they would not receive financial assistance because their homes were not destroyed.
The situation changed after a source familiar with Trump’s itinerary told Fox News on Friday that Trump will travel to the village of East Palestine on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
“If our ‘leaders’ are too afraid to actually lead real leaders will step up and fill the void,” his son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted on Friday.
Hours later, the White House announced FEMA will send doctors and federal assistance to the disaster zone.
In a joint statement on Friday, Gov. DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas Sivak claimed FEMA and Ohio had been “working together since day one.”
“Tomorrow, FEMA will supplement federal efforts by deploying a Senior Response Official along with a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessments of potential long term recovery needs.”
However, Gov. DeWine had previously tweeted that East Palestine did not qualify for FEMA assistance.
Residents of East Palestine are pictured lining up outside the Norfolk Southern Assistance Center to collect $1,000 checks on Thursday, Feb. 17.
The $1,000 checks were handed out to reimburse residents for expenses while they were evacuated until the air quality was deemed safe.
The Biden administration was heavily criticized for its slow response to the disaster. Meanwhile, billions of dollars are over-nighted to Ukraine.
