♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, toxic train derailment. tensions erupt at a packed town meeting in ohio. >> we are afraid right now. we don't know what we're facing. >> nearly two weeks after a train derailment unleashed a potential environmental nightmare, a dark cloud of distrust. >> there were several dead fish floating at multiple locations. >> it makes me feel like i shouldn't be in the area. >> high-profile advocates like erin brockovich sounding the alarm. >> they're scared and they're not getting information. >> so is this community safe? plus elizabeth smart. her shocking abduction riveted the nation. >> i'm a survivor of a

kidnapping and was held hostage for nine months. >> ripped from her bedroom at knife point. >> there wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't telling me that he would kill me. >> the miraculous rescue and her journey to recovery. now nearly 20 years later, her message. >> you are stronger than you think you are, and you have the right to defend yourselves. >> and remembering raquel welch. the hollywood sex symbol. and the tributes tonight to a pop culture icon. ♪ whenever heartburn strikes, get fast relief with tums. its time to love food back. ♪tum, tum tum tum, tums♪ bye, bye cough. later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night.

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♪ thank you for joining us. i'm mona kosar abdi. nearly two weeks of questions, confusion, and fear boiled over tonight inside the crowded high school gym in east palestine, ohio. that community is the site of a toxic train derailment that has captured the attention of the nation and two things are clear. the residents want help, and they want answers. abc's alex presha reports. >> wash our dishes and we wash our clothes and we handle it -- >> reporter: worried residents getting a chance to express their concerns after a freight train derailment caused evacuations in a fiery, toxic mess. >> we are the community a

disaster happened to, that we didn't know how to respond to it, and we're just trying to figure it out. we just want answers. >> reporter: the mayor of east palestine saying he's been asking for help. >> i'm a mayor of a town of 4,700 people. if you think i can fight against a railroad or fight against the epa or fight against anything like that you're crazy. >> the reality is your town is under a microscope. the epa administrator's coming tomorrow. what is your message for him? what do you need? >> i need help. i'm not ready for this. >> reporter: the village living literally under a dark cloud for nearly two weeks, worried about the immediate and long-term environmental impact after 38 cars derailed from a 150-car-long train. some of those cars carrying hazard does chemicals. ohio's governor, mike dewine, acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the disaster. have you ever seen something like this? >> no, i've never experienced anything like this. >> reporter: outrage and concern gaining momentum as days ticked

by. consumer advocate erin brockovich, who fought for clean water in her california town, is stepping in to support the residents of east palestine. >> i am so concerned about what's happening here. and a much deeper systemic problem. >> reporter: authorities reassured the community from the start that they're safe, but some locals tell a different story. these gas monitors dot the town, including this one hanging from a stop sign across from ashley mccollum's home. the detectors say the air is safe, but she says her nose makes her feel differently. >> if i can smell it and it's alarming enough that it's not a good smell, it makes me feel like i shouldn't be in the area. >> reporter: she took this video the night of the derailment. >> what caused it? my son, as soon as i saw him break down and start crying and tell me he's so scared, he's afraid, he wants to go -- that kind of snapped me back into it. i needed to get him out, i needed to make him safe. >> reporter: it all started on february 3rd, just before 9:00

p.m. a norfolk southern freight train headed to pennsylvania from illinois derailed. 20 of the 150 cars carried hazardous material. 11 of them came off the tracks, including five containing vinyl chloride, a highly flammable chemical used to make plastic. two days later the governor issues a mandatory evacuation order for people within an mile of the derailment warning of a potentially deadly explosion of shrapnel and toxic release. >> i can't stress enough, if you're in the evacuation zone, yu need to leave. >> reporter: the following day, authorities conducting a controlled release, making small holes in the cars, draining the chemicals into a trench, sending this black cloud into the air. >> inside that trench will be flares lining that trench that then will light off the material. this allows us to control that operation and not have the car react and do it itself. >> reporter: officials expanding the evacuation zone for potential toxic plume from that release, which extended over the pennsylvania border. >> those in the red area, those

in the red area are facing grave danger of death if they are still in that area. >> reporter: exposure to high and prolonged levels of vinyl chloride can carry health risks, long-term exposure than cause cancer. epa telling abc news today, since the fire went out february 8, epa air monitoring has not detected any levels of health concern in the community that are attributed to the train derailment. residents may smell odors because some of the contaminants released are known to have low odor thresholds." yet confusing informaion persists. >> we are recommending that people in the community consider using bottled water. >> reporter: officials reporting that 3,500 fish across 12 species have died in ohio's waterways. resident linda murphy says she saw some in a local creek. >> there were several dead fish floating at multiple locations along leslie run.

>> reporter: she says they won't touch their well water now. >> that's what we bathe in. that's what we drink. that's what we cook with. and that's what i also give to my animals. it was a major concern. and they could not reassure me that the water was safe to drink, they didn't say it wasn't, but they absolutely refrained from saying that it was. >> reporter: the ohio epa telling our cleveland affiliate wews, it doesn't have evidence at this point to show well water would be imgrakted but groundwater protection plans will be considered as part of a long-term remediation. the agency says environmental contractors are taking water quality samples from streams daily and have put up dams in a stream near the derailment to capture contaminants. the ohio epa is confident that the municipal water is safe to drink. are you confident enough, sir, that you yourself would drink it? >> absolutely. if i was there right now, i would drink it. >> reporter: norfolk southern railway says it has completed more than 400 in-home air tests and that none have detected any

of the substances related to the incident. in a statement the company cea said, "we are committed to east palestine today and in the future. we will be judged by our actions. we are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimbursing residents affected by the re railment and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help east palestine recover and thrive." mu stauf that santiago ali is a former epa official for 24 years. he says the community should be cautious in this moment. >> trust has been broken. any time folks have been exposed to these chemicals, they had no idea they were moving through their communities. these are situations that, you know, you can't put a band-aid on. >> reporter: ntsb is studying the train's data recorder and videos that may show mechanical issues with one of the rail cars. this surveillance said i don't obtained by abc news shows the train about 20 miles outside of east palestine less than an hour before the crash. the ntsb believes the sparks are

from what appears to be a wheel bearing at the final stages of overheat failure. the derailment comes at a tough time for the rail industry, with workers threatening to strike over what they say are unsafe conditions. >> across the industry, the big four railroads laid off 30% of their workforce since 2015. and if you track the data, the rates of accident incidents are increasing as the number of workers has gone down. >> reporter: rail union representative greg regan says he hopes this incident pushes the industry to be safer for rail workers and the public. >> i hope we take advantage of this, i hope that we as unions, we and policymakers and others don't let this drift off into memory and not do anything substantial about it. >> reporter: norfolk southern opting out of tonight's meeting, expressing concern over the growing physical threat to our community around this event, but saying they remain committed to responding to the community's concerns. the company saying, we know that many are rightfully angry and

frustrated right now. do you think they should be here tonight? >> yeah, absolutely. it's absurd they're not there. it's wrong they're not there. they created this problem. they need to hang in there. >> reporter: meanwhile, governor mike dewine calling on congress to take action, asking why the hazardous materials transported on the train wasn't flagged to the state of ohio. a lawsuit against norfolk southern was filed today alleging the company's efforts to mitigate the derailment have made the situation worse. epa administrator michael reagan will head to east palestine tomorrow. for now, residents like ashley mccollum aren't taking chances. she says she moved her children to different schools after they complained of headaches and pains following the derailment. >> i feel like more feel that have been here are leaving. it's extremely difficult. and i even told some people today, i said, we just need a town hug. it's heartbreaking. >> our thanks to alex. up next, a survi

elizabeth smart opens up about her shocking abduction and captivity as a 14-year-old and what her life is like 20 years later. ® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems.

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♪ elizabeth smart became a household name two decades ago as the victim of an unthinkable crime. but she as also overcome that pain to find purpose. she recently sat down with "nightline" coanchor juju chang. we warn you some of this report is graphic and disturbing. >> reporter: her kidnapping captivated a nation. >> whoever has her, please let her go. >> this is every parent's nightmare. >> reporter: 14-year-old

elizabeth smart ripped from her bedroom in the middle of the night, missing for nine months, until a remarkable turn of events. >> it is a miracle. elizabeth smart has been found alive. >> reporter: 20 years after that dramatic rescue, elizabeth smart has turned her trauma into triumph. a powerful activist who lives a refreshingly normal life, a wife, a mom, refusing to let her present be defined by her past. to those who may not know your story what would you tell them? >> i'm a survivor of a kidnapping and was held hostage for nine months. but that i have never allowed that to stand in my way of trying to make the world a better place for having me in it than not. but also at heart, like, i am just -- i'm just me. i'm a mom. i have three kids. and i hate laundry.

>> don't we all. >> right. i like good food. i like being at home. >> reporter: it was at her family's home in june 2002, an affluent neighborhood in salt lake city where she slept in a room she shared with her younger sister, mary katherine. >> i remember hearing a voice. it was a man's voice saying, "i have a knife at your neck, don't make a sound, get up and come with me." nothing in my life had prepared me for an experience like that. i mean, the thought that someone could penetrate my home, my safe place, just seemed impossible. >> reporter: she says she remembers being taken by her captors, brian mitchell and his wife, wanda barzee, into the mountains high above salt lake city, not far from her home where mitchell had worked as a day laborer. for nine months smart was held captive and tortured. the abuse at times, she says, unbearable. >> it did get to a point where i was like, if he really is going to rape and kill me, i need it to happen close to my house so

that my parents know what happened to me. so that, you know, they don't just think i ran away. >> when there were close brushes with rescuers who were shouting your name in earshot, you couldn't speak? >> there wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't telling me that he would kill me, that he would kill my family if i didn't do what he wanted me to do. there was a lot of sexual assault. where i'd grown up, a loving environment, it was also a very conservative environment. and there was a lot of emphasis always put on staying pure physically. yes, i was in a lot of pain, but, i mean -- there was, like, this mental and emotional and spiritual aspect as well that just -- i mean, it was crushing. it was suffocating. it really made me question, would i be better dead than alive? >> i've interviewed sexual assault survivors who say it has

an impact on their intimacy, on the way they approach intimacy. i wonder if it's had an impact on your life in that way? >> if we could help better educate on the difference between what rape is wholehearted, consensual sex is -- then i think that, for me, makes all the difference. it might be the same physical act, but the emotion behind it is -- couldn't be any more different. >> reporter: her family never giving up hope, pleading through the media for elizabeth's return every chance they got. chris thomas was the family's spokesperson. >> 70 to 80 cameras showing up. i was working 20-plus-hour days. i logged somewhere around 10,000 phone calls. >> reporter: thomas writing about the relentless media freeze intra in "unexpected." what explains the media fascination with elizabeth's story? >> this was a case unlike any that had ever been seen.

a child being abducted from their own room in an affluent suburb in conservative salt lake city. i mean, that just doesn't happen. >> reporter: months after the abduction, elizabeth's sister managed to provide key details about the suspect. but thomas says he couldn't release the sketch or the new clues. >> over several months the police did not want that coming out. and so at that point, the national media completely panned the story, locally they buried that story. "america's most wanted" was the only one who gave it real credence. >> breaking news on the elizabeth smart abduction case. >> reporter: the program aired the sketch and asked for help. a few days after the sketch was shown on "america's most wanted" in march 2023, eyewitnesses spotted brian mitchell walking down a street in sandy, utah. they called police. >> we were walking up state street in salt lake city. and i remember a police car pulling up. he was just like, "you know, there's this girl and she's been

missing now for a very long time and her family has never stopped searching for her, they love her more than anything." so at that point i was like, oh my gosh, he knows. the officer, he's like, "i'm sorry, you need to say the words." he had to ask me a few times before i finally said that yes, i was elizabeth smart. >> reporter: finally, after nine long months, the nightmare was over. chris remembers breaking the news to elizabeth's dad, ed smart. >> we called ed, and he was out in the parking lot pacing. he said, "i'm too afraid to go inside." we said, "elizabeth's in there, she's alive, she's waiting for you." the phone line went dead. >> what was that like when your father walked in that room? >> it really was the first time that i felt safe in nine months. what lay ahead, it was going to be okay. because my dad was there, and he was not going to let anyone else hurt me. >> reporter: both of elizabeth's captors were sentenced to federal prison on kidnapping

charges. elizabeth testified at mitchell's trial. he's currently serving a life sentence. barzee was sentenced to 15 years and has since been released. in the 20 years since her rescue, she's become an activist, launching the elizabeth smart foundation with her father. >> you are stronger than you think you are, and you have the right to defend yourselves. >> reporter: there's one program she says she's particularly proud of. >> smart defense. which is a trauma-informed self-defense program which has just been incredible. it's the combination of brazilian jujitsu, muay thai -- >> reporter: teaching people to defend yourself, advice she gives her daughter. >> yes, you can defend yourself. yes, scream. yes, bite anyone who tries to touch you. please take care of yourself. >> when you look back, it's been 20 years. what lessons do you think we can all learn? >> i don't think that if you took all the media attention,

any other survivor or victim has ever gotten, it would match the amount of attention my story got. and i feel heartbroken about that. because every missing child deserves to be found. >> our thanks to juju. up next, celebrating a siren of the stage and screen. when moderate to severe ulcerative colitis keeps flaring, put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when uc got unpredictable, i got rapid symptom relief with rinvoq. and left bathroom urgency behind. check. when uc got in my way, i got lasting, steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when my gastro saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly repair the colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting, steroid-free remission. and a chance to visibly repair the colon lining. check. check. and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb.

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♪ finally tonight, actress raquel welch has died in los angeles. she only had a few lines, but

her role and that iconic costume in the 1966 film "one million years b.c." made her an instant hollywood sensation and an international sex symbol. a status she embraced. her career would span 50 years and earn her a golden globe. her "legally blonde" costar reese witherspoon tweeted, "she was elegant, professional, and glamorous beyond belief, may all her angels carry her home." raquel welch was 82. that's "nightline" for this evening. you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us.