As of Thursday, the trio had filed a class-action suit against the state of Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder, and the city of Flint seeking reparations for the gross negligence allegedly leading to the ongoing water crisis. He is requesting a federal disaster declaration and millions of dollars that could pay for clean water, filters and other essentials.
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In an effort to save money, the city switched from the Detroit-based system and began using water from the Flint River previous year.
After Snyder declared a state of emergency January 5, residents could go to fire stations to pick up a daily ration of one case of bottled water per household and a water filter.
Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) had reportedly continued to tell Flint residents that the water was safe for drinking despite warnings from local doctors who had found alarming amounts of lead levels in people.
If federal monies do arrive, he’s discussed “possible… temporary housing, home repairs and low-priced loans” for residents hurt by the lead levels in the water.
The attorney general, Bill Schuette, said Friday that his office would investigate “what, if any, MI laws were violated in the process that resulted in the contamination crisis”.
Snyder on Friday asked President Obama to declare a federal disaster, and the National Guard is now assisting in distributing bottled water in the city.
They have since switched back to Detroit’s water.
MI health officials are investigating whether outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the area are connected to the lead levels. Now, Schuette has been tasked with representing Governor Snyder and his top officials in lawsuits stemming from the Flint water crisis-even as he claims to be conducting his own separate investigation into the Snyder administration’s role in poisoning the Flint water supply.
“We are utilizing all state resources to ensure Flint residents have access to clean and safe drinking water and today I am asking President Obama to provide additional resources as our recovery efforts continue”, Snyder said in the statement.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, said parents are coming in with grave concerns about the possibility of elevated lead levels in their children. The new supply, from the Flint River, was saltier and corroded pipes, leaching lead into the system.
Muchmore, who said the Flint water crisis had nothing to do with his decision to leave state government to become a government relations consultant, pegged Snyder’s awareness that there was in fact a problem to late September. Consumption of the heavy metal can lead to permanent brain damage in children, causing lowered IQs, cognitive impediments, and an array of learning disabilities.
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In a statement, EPA said that they had fulfilled their duty of referring complaints of lead contamination to the MDEQ. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will review the request and advise Obama. He says Snyder’s request “is an important step toward making sure they get the help they need”.
