More than a year after the disaster, eastern Palestine is still rebuilding — long after media attention waned and most reporters moved elsewhere.

We all remember the sight of dark smoke rising from a small town in Ohio. These disturbing images emerged shortly after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed on the evening of February 3, 2023.

Since then, the lives of thousands of people in the area have been turned upside down as toxic chemicals seep into neighborhoods, schools and every corner of our community.

As native Ohioans, we have spent the last year and a half talking, listening, and engaging with residents to assure them that they are not forgotten and that we are working for them.

A mother in eastern Palestine fears daily that her daughter may have serious health complications from a chemical leak as she grows up. After years of struggling with infertility, she was blessed with a daughter. Now she lives in fear of the long-term effects of these chemicals because no tests have been done to identify potential complications.

Another mother, who had four foster children in her care at the time, was forced to evacuate after a train derailment. Two months later, the EPA cleared her to return home. But she and one of her foster children soon became ill, making it difficult for her to care for herself and her other children. When she sought help from a halfway house, she was told she would have to move again. Almost a year later, she was finally able to return home, but she was still sick from the chemical exposure.

Stories like these happen all too often. In response, local, state and federal officials are working to rebuild the community. One of the most significant actions, months after the derailment, was an urgent request from Gov. Mike DeWine to President Biden for a Presidential Disaster Declaration to aid in the city’s physical, mental and economic recovery.

To this day, President Biden has not made a statement saying he doesn’t think it’s necessary. Only someone so out of touch with the people on the ground that he hasn’t bothered to set foot in eastern Palestine for over a year can say that. He hasn’t heard their stories. He hasn’t spoken to small business owners struggling to stay afloat or met with parents worried that their children’s health may never be the same.

Furthermore, under his leadership and that of Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) failed to monitor the potential long-term health effects of the train derailment and ensure that needed treatments were available. The safety and well-being of the residents of East Palestine should be a top priority for this administration, yet our community has been met with nothing but disappointment.

Without action and recognition from the Biden-Harris Administration, we must take the reins in Congress. We strongly advocate for passage of the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2024, which we both sponsored in the House of Representatives, to authorize funding through fiscal year 2028 to conduct a study of the long-term health effects of the derailment.

More specifically, the bill would require the Secretary of HHS to award a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement to a group of public or private institutions of higher learning to conduct a study of the human health effects resulting from the derailment and subsequent venting and flaring of liquid chemicals. It also requires the Secretary to provide additional consideration to eligible entities that have established relationships in affected communities.

Such voluntary public health surveillance activities are crucial to understanding the scope of the potential health impacts caused by the train derailment to which many residents and first responders in eastern Palestine were likely exposed over the past year.

With broad support in the Senate, including Ohio Senators Vance and Brown, we can advocate strongly for legislation in both the House and Senate. As we have seen, any American city can be turned upside down in a matter of seconds. Only by fully and thoroughly investigating these potential health impacts can we implement appropriate measures to help the residents of East Palestine continue their recovery.

Michael Rulli (R-Ohio 6) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio 14) are United States Representatives in Congress.