(The Hattiesburg American posted the following article on its website on March 8.)
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — It could be days before any determination is made about what caused today’s train derailment and the environmental impact of the resulting chemical spill, officials said at a press conference late this afternoon.
It probably will be a day or two before the tracks are cleared of all wreckage.
People who have been displaced because of the spill can be put up in hotels at the expense of Kansas City Southern Railroad.
“If people need a place to stay, we will take care of that,” said Al Rawls, assistant vice president and freight claims at the railroad.
Two projects currently are under way at the derailment site. Contractors have been called in to right the train cars that have been tipped over and remove wreckage. Environmental crews are assessing air quality and watching wind conditions and mitigating the effects of the chemical spill in Myers Creek, said Ernie Shirley, an environmental scientist with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
“We’re confident hydrochloric acid has gotten into the creek,” Shirley said, adding workers are putting hydrated lyme into the water to neutralize the acid.
Forrest County Emergency Management Director Terry Steed said that the latest water samples indicate chemicals have not gotten into the Leaf River.
He was unsure how long it will be before residents can return to their homes.
“It’s better to be displaced and stay displaced overnight than to get woken up in the middle of the night to evacuate again,” he said.