(The following article by Chris Otts was posted on the Courier-Journal website on February 1.)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mike and Brenda Sexton, who live less than a mile from the site of the Jan. 16 train derailment in Bullitt County, went to North Bullitt High School with all sorts of questions last night:
Can the kids play outside?
Will their new roof change color because of the chemicals released during the wreck?
Is it safe to burn fireplace wood that was outside during the train fire?
Government and CSX officials assured the Sextons and about 100 other Bullitt County residents at the meeting that they have been monitoring the impact of the fiery derailment, and so far there is no cause for concern on these or any other public health issues.
Nevertheless, some residents remained uneasy.
Cris Hoskins, who owns a trucking repair shop on Coral Ridge Road just across from the derailment site, said she and her two employees have been able to return to work for only minutes at a time since the wreck because “it smells so bad.”
Gary Sease, a CSX spokesman who ran the meeting, promised officials would take a closer look at the shop.
Brenda Board, who lives several miles southeast of the site, said she went outside the morning that the plume of smoke from the wreck blew toward her home — and she’s been having breathing problems ever since.
Also yesterday, CSX announced that Bullitt County residents who want a $100 “inconvenience” check from the railroad need to file their claim by Wednesday evening, when the company’s community outreach center in Brooks will close.
CSX has awarded up to 10,000 checks to residents since the derailment.
The railroad also is reimbursing area residents and businesses for more serious problems, such as lost wages and medical expenses. Sease said those claims will continue to be accepted past Wednesday.
Fifteen families evacuated the day of the crash still are waiting to return to their homes in northern Bullitt County.
The outreach center is at the Hearthstone Inn & Suites in Brooks. After it closes, people can mail claims to: Brooks Kentucky Derailment Center, c/o CSX Transportation, 11492 Bluegrass Parkway, Louisville, KY 40299.
Sease said the wreck eventually may cost the company $10 million.
CSX officials said yesterday afternoon that the residents could move back into their homes in two to three weeks, after water, gas and phone service are restored. Until then, they can return to their homes to get things by checking in with security at the site.
Also, Ky. 1020 reopened to traffic yesterday afternoon, CSX officials said.
Art Smith, an on-site coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency, said environmental testing has found no chemical levels that present an immediate health threat or raise a fear of long-term health risks.