(The following article by Christi Mathis was posted on the Southern Illinoisian website on February 9.)
TAMAROA, Ill. — “A year ago was chaos, in the morning anyway. By afternoon it was organized chaos,” Tamaroa Mayor Bill Place recalled Monday on the first anniversary of the Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway hazardous chemical train derailment that could have decimated his small Perry County town.
If the chemicals had mixed, the results could have been deadly. Fortunately, there were no injuries. But hundreds of people were displaced from their homes for days and the disaster drew national attention.
One year later, everyone is back home, the cleanup is continuing, the cause of the crash has been determined and things are returning to normal. But, it’s not all over, locals are quick to note.
“I’m not completely satisfied with everything that’s occurred, but in the big picture I’m fairly pleased,” Place said. “My satisfaction with all the responding agencies and the state is 200 percent. I don’t think there’s anything anybody responder-wise could have done any better.”
Place praised local authorities and agencies as well as the efforts of Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the people and agencies he put in place at Tamaroa after the derailment. The mayor said the state continues to keep in touch with local authorities and oversee the cleanup and environmental testing in Tamaroa.
“They continue to be responsive to our needs,” Place said.
But Place and some other Tamaroa residents aren’t completely satisfied with the railroad.
“The railroad hasn’t come through with a few of the things they indicated they would,” Place said. “They alluded to a donation to the community, but I’ve had ongoing dialogue with their attorneys and nothing has come through. We’d sure like them to make some type of gesture to the community that would have some substance.”
Place said the Tamaroa grade school district would like to acquire the village hall/community center building since the present school building lacks sufficient space, recreational area, and isn’t handicapped accessible.
Remodeling the former high school building for the grade school to use would likely cost $300,000 to $600,000, and the village was hoping to get the railroad to donate about $600,000, Place said. Place said it’s likely the village would then lease or rent the building to the school district and remodel the old village hall for city use. At this point all discussions and plans are very preliminary though, he stressed.
Money to make those dreams happen isn’t available, officials said. Place and other Tamaroans say their town was inconvenienced and damaged by the derailment and a good-will financial gesture from the railroad would certainly help.
“Anything the railroad would give us, we’d be grateful for,” Place said. “I don’t think whatever they’d give the town would be too much after what Tamaroa went through.”
The railroad is considering requests for additional funds and has worked to satisfy to satisfy all claims and complaints, Jack Burke, assistant vice president of U.S. Public Affairs for the Canadian National/Illinois Central Railroad, said recently. He said more than $1 million in claims has been paid and two new crossings installed in Tamaroa.
Although extensive work has been done at the downtown derailment site, there are still railroad ties and other debris in the area and nearby roads haven’t been repaired yet. Some work is being delayed until spring to assure all contamination has been removed and that no further damage will occur from the cleanup effort.
The National Transportation Safety Board recently issued its findings on the accident and determined that an insulator on a section of track failed and caused the track to separate, resulting in the derailment, said Chuck Genesio, Du Quoin Emergency Services Disaster Agency director. The Du Quoin ESDA was the lead local response and management agency when the derailment occurred.
Genesio said thus far the monitoring wells installed throughout the village have found no contamination, but they will be carefully checked in the spring when the groundwater level rises. He said other air and soil contamination readings also have been negative.
Although about 1,000 people — including the town’s 800 residents and hundreds living in the surrounding area — reached financial settlements with the railroad, a class action lawsuit was filed in United States District Court in Benton by some who weren’t pleased with compensation offered by the railroad for the damages and inconvenience they suffered.
The suit was filed by Joseph Leberman of the firm of Bryant & Kautz of Marion and Metropolis on behalf of Christopher R. and Tracee Moss and son Clayton; Dawn L. Klamm and children Jayci D. Hilt and TJay M. Klamm; Vicki Przygoda and children Aaron S. and Ashley R. Przygoda; Larry and Shirley Galbraith; Kenneth R. Knapp and daughter Brittany; Ricky and Opaline Long; Kim L. Arendell; Randy Fallowell (doing business as R & R Feed and Bait) and other unnamed plaintiffs.
More than 300 people have joined the suit, some of whom already received settlement payments from the railroad. The suit claims the plaintiffs suffered personal and property damages as the result of the derailment of railcars carrying “hazardous, toxic and carcinogenic” materials. Tamaroa residents were displaced for up to five days after the derailment.
The suit seeks damages of $20,000 for each of the plaintiffs. Since it’s a class action suit, others may join. A hearing is set for March 1 to determine if the suit will remain in St. Clair County Court or be moved to Perry County as the railroad prefers. A hearing will be held in May to certify the case as a class action suit.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Perry County State’s Attorney David Stanton also filed suit in Perry County Circuit Court to assure that proper compensation is awarded by the railroad and an agreement was reached detailing cleanup details for the derailment that involved vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid and methanol. Officials said the work continues according to those plans.