Vice President JD Vance, the then U.S. Senator from Ohio, speaks to local media in 2023 at the East Palestine Municipal Building about clean-up efforts in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment. Residents are asked to write letters that will be mailed to Vance as part of a letter campaign to reiterate the unmet needs that still exist in the village and surrounding communities. (File photo/Stephanie Elverd)

EAST PALESTINE — Nearly three years after the February 2023 train derailment changed life forever in East Palestine, the people of East Palestine are once again showing what resiliency and self advocacy looks like.

In a powerful act of unity and hope, residents within a 20-mile radius of East Palestine — stretching across both Ohio and Pennsylvania — are writing letters to federal leaders, urging them to ensure that accessible, long-term medical care becomes a reality for every person affected by the disaster.

“From the wreckage, we rise,” the campaign’s motto is a simple phrase that symbolizesthe determination for those who call East Palestine home. As East Palestine continues to recover and rebuild, this campaign stands as a reminder that some needs — particularly medical monitoring — remain unmet.

The effort, supported by the Village Council of East Palestine, aims to gather the personal voices of the community — the mothers, fathers, veterans, grandparents, and children who have lived through uncertainty since that night in February 2023. The letters will be sent to Vice President JD Vance and other federal officials for review.

Vance, who was a junior U.S. Senator at the time of the disaster, made numerous trips to the village before winning the vice presidency last November. During those trips, Vance advocated for more federal action for East Palestine and criticized Biden’s decision to not declare a Presidential Disaster for East Palestine which would have unlocked key resources for those impacted.

As a senator, Vance asked the EPA to explore the applicability of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to make a determination whether the crisis caused by Norfolk Southern’s derailment meets the criteria of a public health emergency under the law. CERCLA allows the EPA such authority when any hazardous substance is released into the environment and may present an imminent or substantial danger to the public health or welfare. It would also allow Social Security Act 1881a — a little known clause in the Affordable Care Act grants free Medicare to citizens exposed to environmental disasters — to be enacted in the village and other areas affected by the rail disaster.

Vance made that request to the EPA via a letter. Residents are following his lead and now reaching out to him in the same way.

Campaign organizers are asking residents to write about what local medical care means to them and why it’s vital for the community’s future. Organizers stress that every voice matters — whether the letter is signed or anonymous — and that this campaign is not just about the lingering health concerns from the derailment, but about being heard after years of struggle.

Letters are being collected until Nov. 15, and should be addressed to “The Office of the Vice President of the United States” or “Vice President Vance.” Submissions can be mailed or dropped off at the East Palestine Municipal Office, 85 N. Market St., East Palestine, OH 44413.

After the deadline, council will gather and forward all submissions to the appropriate federal offices starting Nov. 16.

Residents within the 20-mile radius of East Palestine are invited to write a short letter explaining why medical care access matters to them and their neighbors.

Letters should:

— Not include personal information, just a name on the outside of a sealed envelope, or they can be signed “Anonymous.”

— Be addressed to The Office of the Vice President of the United States or Vice President Vance.

— Be delivered or mailed to Misti Martin, Village Manager, East Palestine Municipal Office, 85 N. Market St., East Palestine, OH 44413, no later than Nov. 15, 2025.