EAST PALESTINE — Nearly one year after the East Palestine train derailment, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw hosted a roundtable with local media to reflect on the disaster as the anniversary approaches.

Shaw spoke about promises made and promises kept, focusing on long-term initiatives as the village moves past the rail disaster. He also reiterated a commitment to the communities impacted by the derailment and Norfolk Southern’s pledge to “do more than less” and to “do what’s right.

“Candidly, I didn’t know what that looked like. I knew we could bring Norfolk Southern’s resources to bear, but I also knew that we needed to listen,” Shaw said. “We needed to listen to the community and help the community direct our efforts and where our resources went. I’ve been in the churches; I’ve been in the businesses; I’ve been in the schools; I’ve been in nonprofits and I’ve been in family living rooms. I’ve listened and I’ve gotten feedback from the community about how Norfolk Southern can help.”

From the early days of the derailment, three major concerns dominated those conversations — the impact of the disaster on the village’s water supply, property values and health.

“We’ve been focused on the long-term impacts. We’ve invested $4.3 million to upgrade the water system here. We’ve established a homeowners value-assistance program and we’re working with key stakeholders on long-term health care,” Shaw said. “We are addressing those issues and are investing into the community as well. The key message is, since day one, we made a lot of promises and we’ve kept our promises. We’ve also made a lot of progress, but there is still work to be done.”

The $4.3 million contribution toward the protection of the drinking water was announced in September and will be used for upgrades to the municipal system, including new engineering, technology, infrastructure and a carbon filtration system.

Also in September, Norfolk Southern rolled out the Value Assistance Program — intended to compensate homeowners for any diminished value in the wake of the disaster. Through the program, residents in a designated area who have sold their homes since Feb. 3, have their homes on the market, or will put their homes on the market, are eligible to be compensated for any difference between their home’s market value and its sale price. The interim VAP also will be available for future sales. If a home fails to sell for the asking price, that price will be lowered until it does and Norfolk Southern will pay the difference based on a fair-market assessment.

Shaw said it was his understanding that 72 properties have been sold since the derailment and nine of those sales have utilized the VAP program. While the program was established to protect home values, it is unclear what, if any, negative impact the derailment has had on the real estate market in the village. According to Rocket Homes, a tech company that tracks and analyzes real estate data, the value of homes in East Palestine have not declined, but rather increased, since the derailment, reporting a climb of 25% from last year.

Shaw said the idea behind the VAP was not only to protect property values but to give people an avenue to take if they no longer feel comfortable residing in the village. The railroad has been compensating displaced families since the derailment but announced last month that aid would end Feb. 9. Shaw said the program was meant to be temporary.

“Throughout this whole process, the relocation assistance program was designed to relocate during the most intensive phase of that environmental remediation. That was completed in late October so that program will end in early February,” Shaw explained. “I am encouraged by the fact, a vast majority are back in their homes. I understand there are approximately 50 families not back in their homes. For those who long term don’t feel comfortable returning, we established the homeowner value assistance program for exactly that reason.”

As for addressing long-term health concerns, Shaw said that a program to do so is in development. He said the process to implement such a program is lengthy, but maintained it remains a priority of Norfolk Southern.

“We are working with key stakeholders on it, including state and local officials, but it takes time. In the interim, we are encouraging anybody who feels any effects from this to go see a trusted medical professional and we will pay for it,” he said. “All folks have to do is go visit the family assistance center and we will cover medical costs. We’ve also invested in medical facilities along with the state of Ohio in East Palestine itself.”

Those facilities include East Liverpool City Hospital’s East Palestine Health Clinic to treat and monitor physical impacts potentially related to the derailment and the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Board Resiliency Center to combat any mental impacts caused by the events of Feb. 3.

Shaw made it clear that he believes in the science and data that reflect no change in the quality of the air, drinking water and soil in and around East Palestine as a result of the derailment. He also repeated his assertion that had the train derailed in his backyard, he would feel safe continuing to reside in his home.

But it didn’t derail in his backyard and despite his confidence in the environmental data, Shaw expressed empathy for those who harbor apprehension.

“Certainly, I understand. I’m sympathetic and sensitive to it,” he said. “What Norfolk Southern can do in response to that is to do everything we can to ensure the water is safe and continue the ongoing testing and monitoring. We have the VAP for the people who don’t want to stay here and we are working on that long-term health program. Those are the three issues we heard. We listened, and we are acting decisively to address those.”

As the village puts Feb. 3 behind it and walks further down the road to recovery, Shaw said Norfolk Southern will continue to be there every step of the way. Those steps, he said, will continue to be dictated by the community.

“We will continue to operate in the best interest of our customers, our employees and the communities we serve,” he said. “In the immediate aftermath, we followed that north star and I don’t know what that looks like in the future but I know that community can help us get there and I know we are going to continue to help this community.”

selverd@mojonews.com