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This dataset includes anonymized survey data collected in communities affected by the East Palestine train derailment, chemical spill, and fires. The survey was designed to capture community perceptions and experiences related to air, water, and soil sampling and testing; household and built environment impacts; and protective actions taken. Participants were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older and lived or worked in an affected county as of February 3, 2023—the day of the derailment. The survey was open from July 20 to September 20, 2023, approximately six months after the incident. See "Notes" below for more details on the methods. The research was reviewed and approved by the Human Subjects in Research Ethics boards at the authors’ universities. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (Award #2329409). 

Complex industrial disasters illustrate the challenges of underdeveloped public warning systems. Unlike most natural disasters, quickly identifying hazardous materials and assessing their threats is crucial for developing protective action recommendations (PARs) that guide household response in industrial crises. The 2023 East Palestine, Ohio (USA) train derailment, chemical spill, and fires revealed that gaps in rapidly identifying hazardous materials, and the threats they present, can severely impact the public warning system. As the crisis unfolded, responding agencies left crucial questions unanswered, leaving community members uncertain about their safety, the extent of environmental contamination, and what protective actions to take. It is imperative to study the drivers of household protective actions in the absence of a developed warning system and well-established PARS. To achieve this, we conducted a community survey in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (n = 259) in response to the East Palestine crisis. We used multivariate logistic regressions to identify statistically significant explanatory factors that predict protective action response. Our findings reveal gaps in response, where challenges identifying and communicating hazards created environmental justice concerns. We provide policy recommendations to strengthen hazard identification and outline further work to include equity as a pillar of environmental disaster response. 

The provision of water services is critical to ensure the vitality of Alaskan communities. Water systems in Alaska operate differently than those in the contiguous US given the Arctic climate, remote geography, and unique workforce limitations. For example, some communities rely on water delivered using trucks, and many households use traditional sources (e.g., rainwater, ice melt). This unique context reconfigures how water systems relate to other critical infrastructure services (CISs), such as transportation and electricity. For instance, the high energy costs needed to heat water systems in Alaska can exacerbate water insecurity. In another example, some communities with delivered water services can be limited by transportation challenges such as limited connectivity, roadway damage, and reduced visibility during winter weather. While we recognize that water-related challenges in Alaska are often linked to other CISs, it remains unclear how these interdependencies shape services—for instance, which connections are sources of vulnerability? Through a systematic literature review, we seek to understand the underlying network of interdependencies between water systems and other CISs in Alaska. We employ a qualitative content analysis of scholarly literature to identify relevant CISs and how they influence the provision of water services. By enhancing our knowledge about infrastructure interdependencies in Alaska, we can improve management by taking into account other relevant systems. Further, our work identifies key research gaps and opportunities, guiding future efforts to address the complex infrastructure challenges in Alaska.