YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)- Youngstown State University is hosting a panel about the East Palestine Train Derailment.

This comes just over three months after the incident.

This is being put on by the Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education.
The panel is discussing hazards and the public good. The whole point of this panel is to address curiosities about the derailment, and help people understand what needs to be considered going forward.

There will be five different panelists, including a recovery coordinator and emergency management specialist. Two Youngstown State University faculty members and WKBN’s meteorologist Ryan Halicki are on the panel.

YSU associate professor of geography Dawna Cerney will moderate the panel. She says the panel’s goal is to address curiosity around the derailment and help people move forward.

“What do you need to be considering? What do we need to be wise about? You know, what kind of good questions should we ask? What are these folks actually doing for us? Not the the Norfolk Southern or the county, but, you know, the people who have their boots on the ground,” said Cerney.

Columbiana County Port Authority Recovery Coordinator Bobby Ritchey will discuss effects on property and resources. Emergency management specialist McKenzie Villatoro will talk about community safety.

Our own meteorologist Ryan Halicki will talk about different scientific aspects of the derailment.
Youngstown State economics professor AJ Summell will discuss environmental economic impacts. Youngstown State history professor Brian Bonhomme will talk about will talk about the historical impacts. Panel moderator Dawna Cerney says each perspective can give insight on making better decisions with hazards.

“Unintentionally not inviting somebody to an investigation or a dialog could leave important information out that could be critical for decision making. So making sure that those folks are there is critical,” said Cerney.

Anyone can come to the panel. It starts at 4 p.m. at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor.

Cerney hopes the panel can help people ask the right questions to get the right answers about moving forward from the derailment.