President Joe Biden visited the disaster-stricken rural village of East Palestine, Ohio , on Friday, more than a year after a freight train loaded with hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals derailed there.

Biden faced enormous criticism for not making the trip sooner, with some Republicans accusing him of ignoring the community because of its history of voting Republican. East Palestine residents and independent scientists have also criticized federal and state agencies for their missteps in responding to the disaster; many people remain fearful about what the chemical exposure could mean for their long-term health.

Biden called the response and recovery efforts in East Palestine over the last year Herculean and vowed to hold rail giant Norfolk Southern fully accountable for the disaster.

While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable, Biden said. Norfolk Southern failed its responsibility.

Biden touted his administrations efforts to date, including monitoring air, water and soil, but stressed there is more work to be done.

Were not going home, no matter what, until this job is done, he said. Theres a lot more to do. The vast majority has been done, but were going to stay until the very end, [until] every need is met.

Jami Wallace, a lifelong resident of East Palestine and president of the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment, told HuffPost ahead of Bidens visit that the president should have traveled to the community a year ago.

The time was then not even just as a president, but as a parent of a child who was subjected to chemicals and lost his life, Wallace said. Where was his empathy for all the citizens in this area that are facing those same unanswered questions about their children when it comes to exposure to multiple chemicals? Hes seen the worst outcome firsthand. So why wasnt he here just to support the community? The fact that he waited so long shows me that he doesnt really care.

Wallace was referring to Bidens son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015. Biden has speculated that his sons cancer was caused by exposure to toxic chemicals from burn pits during his military service in Iraq.

The train, operated by Norfolk Southern, derailed Feb. 3, 2023, while hauling numerous hazardous and flammable materials, including hundreds of thousands of pounds of vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing chemical used in the production of plastics. The EPA has repeatedly stressed that the air, water and soil in East Palestine are safe, a conclusion that is based on testing of individual chemicals that have largely been detected at levels below minimal risk thresholds.

But the situation in the community is far more complicated than any single toxin. Residents were exposed to potentially dozens of chemicals simultaneously after the railroad and local officials intentionally set fire to tankers cars full of vinyl chloride. The so-called controlled burn was aimed at preventing a potentially catastrophic explosion, but released thick plumes of toxic smoke into East Palestine and neighboring communities.