Multiple state and federal agencies have combined to establish a unified command in response to the West Virginia Train Derailment near Mount Carbon on the Kanawha River on Monday.
Capt. Lee Boone, Federal On Scene Coordinator for the West Virginia Train Derailment said the top priorities for response personnel remain the safety of the community and responders, and mitigating the impact to the environment.
27 of 109 cars derailed and 19 were involved in fires. Response teams have removed the rail cars that were not involved in the derailment and remove derailed cars that did not catch on fire. Several small fires continue to burn at the derailment site. When safe to do so, CSX will begin transferring oil from the damaged cars to other tanks for removal from the site.
No rail cars entered the Kanawha River.
Water service has been restored to all customers, but a boil advisory remains in effect. A community outreach center opened earlier this week to address community needs. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Glass-In Riverside Room at the Glen Ferris Inn on U.S. Route 60 in Glen Ferris.
A Joint Information Center has been established at the West Virginia Train Derailment Incident Command Post in Montgomery.Beth Vorhees has the latest on the train derailment in Fayette County, W. Va.
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