NEW ORLEANS — Neighbors in Gert Town are asking a judge in New Orleans to order emergency action to address health fears in the community.
The stretch of Lowerline Street near Coolidge Place where crews recently punched holes in the pavement and dug up radioactive material is now covered with fresh asphalt.
But, some of the dumpsters used in the removal process remain on the site.
New Orleans attorney Suzette Bagneris represents dozens of people who live and work in Gert Town.
"Just the presence of these storage bins, being abandoned here is causing a lot of fear and fright and anxiety for the residents of this area," Bagneris said. "Either they didn't contain radium-226 or other radioactive materials or they did contain radium-226 or other hazardous materials as part of the remediation effort."
Bagneris is part of the legal team now suing the city and others over the removal of contaminated soil under the street.
The suit claims officials knew about the radiation problem for years and should have relocated nearby residents while they worked to remove the material.
The latest filing in the case asks a judge to order the dumpsters be removed and for the city to immediately provide the community with information regarding what they've been exposed to and potential health risks.
Eric Lassair is the lead plaintiff in the case. He grew up two blocks from the site.
"Everybody is up in arms now because they're trying to figure out what's going on and do we have to move or should be relocate, what exposure we have," Lassair said.
Lassair worries the radioactive material dug up under the street, may also be present under people's homes and businesses.
"Who's to say it isn't under Mr. Leo's house, Mr. Issac's house or some of the other houses in the community," Lassair said.
A judge is expected to rule on the emergency order next Thursday in Orleans Civil District Court.
"All we want at this point is we want answers," Bagneris said. "We want communication. We want information. So, people can be informed of what they need to do to protect themselves."
Pastor Donald Berryhill, Sr., from the First Zion Baptist Church in Gert Town says he plans to be at the Thursday morning's hearing along with many members of his congregation.
"This Gert Town community should have been treated better and we should have been informed before anything took place," Berryhill said.
Neighbors are still unsure where the radiation came from.
The site is just blocks from where the old Thompson-Haywood chemical plant once stood.
A city spokesman has said that there are no health risks and that the material was removed out of an abundance of caution.