RAVENNA TWP., Ohio - East Palestine isn't the only community recovering from a Norfolk Southern train derailment. Frustrations are growing for people in Ravenna Township five months after 22 train cars crashed and left their neighborhood in ruins.

Norfolk Southern train cars derailed last November and the railroad company has not completed the clean-up process. There is still debris, destroyed property, and two train cars lingering in resident's backyard.

It has been four months since the crash and residents and police are dissatisfied by what they call the railroad company's slow-moving cleanup efforts.

One resident, Charles Knight says the railroad company started their cleanup in December of last year and stopped at the end of January 2023. Since then he says communication and efforts on behalf of Norfolk Southern has been lacking.

"The [Fraternal Order of Police is frustrated with them, we're frustrated with them. We can't get answers," Knight said. "They haven't done anything they promised."

Knight was standing in his backyard when he witnessed train cars crush his boat, garage and septic tank.
He says Norfolk Southern promised to remove leftover debris and compensate residents for their property damage. But so far, little has been done.

Unlike in East Palestine, hazardous chemicals were not traveling on these train cars. The lack of action from Norfolk Southern is causing Knight to feel neglected and overlooked.

"I understand, I feel for the people in East Palestine. My heart goes out to those people, but we have an issue here that happened first and its taking-going on five months to get a septic tank fixed," Knight said.

21 News reached out to Norfolk Southern about their clean-up efforts but they have not yet responded.

NTSB officials are planning to tour the site Wednesday.