Scrutiny on Gov. Rick Snyder has intensified as his administration struggles to keep up with the fallout from the Flint water debacle.
Advertisement
Flint, Michigan gained most of its fame for being the home to activist Michael Moore and the subject of the documentary “Roger & Me” which showed what happened to Flint following General Motors’ closing of its factories there effectively killing the city of almost 100,000.
The United Way says that so far, it has sent more than 11,000 filter systems, 5,000 replacement filters and an ongoing supply of bottled water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, and provided a dedicated driver for daily distribution. Had there been democratic input, it’s likely state officials would have been reminded of a report the city commissioned in 2011 on the suitability of the Flint River as a long-term water source.
Lead toxicity is risky for children because it can interfere with the development of the brain and nervous system, and carries other health risks for many organs and systems, some of which may not be apparent for years after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The city switched its water source from the city of Detroit to the Flint River in 2014, in order to save money.
Mr Snyder declared an emergency last week.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has requested support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with Flint’s drinking water crisis. “To help ensure the necessary resources continue to be available at the water resource sites, the state is expanding their partnership with the American Red Cross to utilize their warehousing and inventory management capabilities for stored water resources”.
Earlier Tuesday, Genesee County sheriff’s Capt. Casey Tafoya said volunteers and police hoped to get to 500 to 600 houses a day in a city of about 99,000 residents with an estimated 30,000 households. This coming after dangerously high levels of lead were found in Flint’s water.
Flint police are warning people to be wary of scammers trying to prey on residents amid the city’s drinking water crisis.
“We plan to go every day this week, and we’ll continue until everyone has safe drinking water”, state police Lt. Dave Kaiser said in his own press conference.
Advertisement
And it was the state that dragged its feet responding to this crisis – finally mobilizing an appropriate emergency response last weekend, more than three months that doctor exposed this serious problem. In 2014, again as a result of the governor’s decision to appoint an emergency manager in Detroit, drinking water services were cut off for thousands of city residents said to be in arrears on their water bills.
