EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — In the weeks following the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in small-town Ohio, people who worry they may have been exposed to the toxins say an influx of conflicting information has them at a loss for how to best protect themselves and their families. 

A group calling itself “East Palestine Justice” held its first town hall meeting Friday to help guide folks toward protecting their health and peace of mind. 

The group of attorneys and environmental, scientific and medical experts say they’re representing community members impacted by Norfolk Southern’s negligence. They’re filing lawsuits against the company. 

Erin Brockovich is an environmental activist most known for helping people in Hinkley, Calif. build a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company involving groundwater contamination in the early 1990s; a fight that was made into a movie starring Julia Roberts. She kicked off the town hall session and encouraged the hundreds of people in attendance to band together in their fight for justice, saying there won’t be a quick fix to the problem of the contaminants. 

“I feel your angst and I feel your frustration,” she said. “And I want to share something with you. You are not alone.”

Ashley Murphy is one of the 2,500 people who officials said registered for the public meeting. Murphy’s roots run deep in East Palestine. 

“It’s my town and I love my little town,” she said. “I don’t really want to see it disappear.”

Murphy said she never noticed the trains that run through town before the Feb. 3 accident. 

“My grandma lived right on the tracks growing up, and I don’t even remember hearing trains when I would go to her house,” she said. “And they were literally in her front yard.”

Now she notices every train passing by, the derailment of nearly three dozen Norfolk Southern train cars three weeks ago, 11 of them carrying hazardous materials, always top of mind. 

“We’re definitely more aware,” Murphy said. “And every time you see it going, especially the tanker cars, you have that pit in your stomach of just seeing it. And what could have happened.”

At the town hall, experts encouraged residents to receive tests for health issues, and stressed the importance of testing water and soil. 

The long term effects of the contaminants are a concern for Murphy. 

“You ask doctors questions and they just kind of dip their head down and say, ‘I don’t know what to tell you,’” she said. “It’s nerve-wracking.”

She said she hopes Norfolk Southern is held accountable. And not just financially, but by realizing it’s destroyed people’s lives. 

“I just hope they realize that money’s not what we’re looking for,” Murphy said. “We want you guys to show that, you know, you’re affecting everyone’s lives. And things that people look forward to and can’t get back. You know, kind of show compassion about that, too.”

Because of technical difficulties during the East Palestine Justice town hall Friday, an additional session is scheduled for March 3.