PR insights gained from the Norfolk Southern train derailment response

Year-round communications helped develop ‘source of truth’ as situation unfolded.
American Water’s Ruben Rodriguez vividly recalls the moments in February 2023 after a Norfolk Southern train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio.
Rodriguez is the senior director of external communications for the corporate side of American Water, one of the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility companies in the United States.
The 51-car derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals