EAST PALESTINE — Village residents who spent some personal time with environmental advocate Erin Brockovich on Thursday said they want answers.

According to Brockovich and water expert Bob Bowcock, that’s not what they’re getting in the wake of the Feb. 3 train derailment and chemical spill.

Both are part of a team now known as East Palestine Justice that includes a doctor and three law firms who responded at the request of residents who started emailing Brockovich in the early morning hours of Feb. 4 after the derailment.

“Something is not right here,” Brockovich said.

She even went so far as to call the situation a corporate coverup, questioning why Norfolk Southern is controlling the narrative.

She said the residents are getting mixed messages, saying she’s never seen such mismanagement when it comes to an environmental disaster.

Bowcock questioned how everything was being handled, from the testing of the air in homes to the cleanup of the creeks, Sulfur Run and Leslie Run. An aeration process is being used to remove contaminants out of the creek, but he asked: “Where do you think these chemicals are going?”

They’re being introduced into the air and that process is being used all over town, ongoing, he said.

He also questioned the process being used to test the air in homes and the equipment being used.

“They’re placating the community,” Bowcock said.

When asked about the results showing the village water safe to drink, he said it’s not yet contaminated and the contamination will take some time to get there, but will be sooner than expected.

He said the village should put treatment equipment at the wells now, so when the chemicals do reach the wells, they’ll be ready. If the contamination reaches the wells, though, he said drinking water can be fixed, so that’s not as big of a concern as the ground water.

Bowcock also said as chemicals go underground, everybody has basements and soil vapor intrusion can occur, bringing the contaminants into homes.

Brockovich said she’s very upset and the residents are very upset. The residents told her about how they’re feeling, about their physical ailments, what they’re smelling and seeing, but nobody seems to be listening to them.

“It’s very overwhelming to hear such a close perspective today of what they went through,” she said.

When a television reporter questioned whether she was there to get people to join a lawsuit, she said it’s a fair question, but also said “these people need to know they have legal rights.”

All the money in the world doesn’t change anything for these people, she said.

Alice Street resident Scott McAleer invited reporters to come to his street and see for themselves.

“We want answers, that’s all,” he said.

Greg Mascher, another resident, said the same, saying, “We love this town.”

He doesn’t trust anybody now and he’s worried about his grandchildren.

Giovanni Irizarry has a couple of businesses in town, including a lawn care company, and said a lot of people won’t come home and some are trying to sell their homes.

He’s been in the village since 2018 and said he’s just worried about people making it right, for Norfolk Southern to clean up the mess and make it right for residents.

He said, “We’re not puppets, we live here.” If he was renting, he said, he’d be gone.

Clark Street resident Jenna Catone said as soon as school’s out, she’s taking her 9-year-old son and they’ve moving. She said the railroad sent someone to clean her home, which she rents, and all the person did was spray some disinfectant.

She said they went to an express care medical facility and were told their symptoms were the result of chemical exposure.