Biden Visits Ohio Town 1 Year After Toxic Train Derailment

President Joe Biden visited the disaster-stricken rural village of East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday, more than a year after a freight train loaded with hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals derailed there.

Biden faced enormous criticism for not making the trip sooner, with some Republicans accusing him of ignoring the community because of its history of voting Republican. East Palestine residents and independent scientists have also criticized federal and state agencies for their missteps in responding to the disaster; many people remain fearful about what the chemical exposure could mean for their long-term health.

Biden called the response and recovery efforts in East Palestine over the last year “Herculean” and vowed to hold rail giant Norfolk Southern fully accountable for the disaster.

“While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable,” Biden said. “Norfolk Southern failed its responsibility.”

Biden touted his administration’s efforts to date, including monitoring air, water and soil, but stressed there is more work to be done.

“We’re not going home, no matter what, until this job is done,” he said. “There’s a lot more to do. The vast majority has been done, but we’re going to stay until the very end, [until] every need is met.”

Jami Wallace, a lifelong resident of East Palestine and president of the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment, told HuffPost ahead of Biden’s visit that the president should have traveled to the community a year ago.

“The time was then — not even just as a president, but as a parent of a child who was subjected to chemicals and lost his life,” Wallace said. “Where was his empathy for all the citizens in this area that are