EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine announced a $150,000 grant for East Palestine that will offset costs the city would have to pay to get new emergency response equipment such as a drone for the fire department and new dump trucks.

DeWine spent Friday in East Palestine and met with community members such as Chaney Nezbeth.

Nezbeth has been a part of the group of community leaders who have been meeting since march and call themselves the “stakeholder’s group.”

“It’s been so impactful because it’s given us the opportunity to be the voice on behalf of the residents who are already coming to us in their time of need,” she said.

DeWine visited the group Friday morning to discuss the progress that has been made over the last almost 10 months.

“Things are moving forward. I think the one concern that was expressed when I asked what are the people telling you it’s the same thing that we’ve heard for a number of months and that is most people feel that they’re doing well, but the concern is what happens in the long run,” he said.

Nezbeth agreed that there has been a lot of progress, but that many residents still have concerns.

“We are concerned about long-term health effects. I think one of the biggest concerns immediately is folks here would like to get some sort of baseline on their health today. Even if they are not showing any symptoms, they want to be able to say in two, four, 10 years from now this is where I was then and this is where I am now, is that related to the train derailment,” she said.

DeWine also visited the high school to meet with the science club, went to the trail derailment site and water treatment plant. He said that the key is dialogue with the community and the state.