Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Friday evening that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will send resources to East Palestine, Ohio, The Hill first reported. This comes after FEMA rejected Dewine’s request for help earlier this week.
In a statement to Fox News, a Biden administration official explained that “what East Palestine needs is much more expansive than what FEMA can provide.”
“FEMA is on the frontlines when there is a hurricane or tornado,” the official said. “This situation is different.”
The situation appears to have changed.
In a joint statement last night with FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas Sivak, Dewine said that today, “FEMA will supplement federal efforts by deploying a Senior Response Official along with a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team to support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessments of potential long-term recovery needs.”
This comes after Fox News reported yesterday that former President Donald Trump plans to visit East Palestine on Wednesday, according to a source close to Trump.
Independent journalist Kyle Becker noted that the joint DeWine-Sivak statement occurred exactly one minute after the timestamp in the Fox News article announcing Trump’s indenting to visit.
Others also wondered whether FEMA’s decision to intervene was related.
The Biden administration also announced on Friday that it would send medical personnel and toxicologists to East Palestine from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Since the February 3 derailment and controlled burn three days later, multiple reports emerged of dead fish and wildlife in the area.
“All the people that were displaced have no food, water, a place to stay,” said TikToker @nymphyyeatsteef. “It is so much worse than what they’re telling you.” The TikToker added that churches were asking for donations and food since FEMA and the Red Cross never showed up.
This news and commentary by Jacob Grandstaff originally appeared on Valiant News.
