The White House also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will co-ordinate all disaster relief efforts to “alleviate the hardship and suffering” of residents.
Advertisement
FEMA will deliver water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, “and other necessary related items” for about three months, the release said.
The president also offered to find other available federal assistance, according to the news release. However, the city did not treat corrosive water properly, which led to metal leaching from old pipes.
Water in Flint, Michigan became contaminated two years ago when lead from the city’s old pipes leaked into the supply.
“We are utilizing all state resources to ensure Flint residents have access to clean and safe drinking water”, Snyder said, “and today I am asking President Obama to provide additional resources as our recovery efforts continue”.
Problems began in April 2014 when officials began drawing water from the Flint River as a cost-saving measure rather than continuing to buy it from Detroit.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders calls for the resignation of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder over the state’s handling of the Flint water crisis. “Thousands may have been exposed to potential brain damage from lead”.
Typically, federal aid for an emergency is capped at $5 million, though the president can commit more if he reports it to Congress.
Residents have complained of vomiting fits, rashes and hair loss as a result of the foul-smelling water.
The state’s environment department had allowed water to be taken from the Flint River, even though the city’s treatment plant was not able to produce water that met state and federal standards, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Natural Resources Defense Council. “I can not wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned because the water they’ve been getting out of their taps has been polluted for so long and remains that way without the state or federal government stepping in with any substantial plan to resolve this problem”.
Advertisement
That omission is believed to be responsible for water that tasted, smelled and looked bad to many residents. In October, Snyder appointee Dan Wyant, DEQ’s director, admitted his department had improperly interpreted the federal Lead and Copper Rule created to protect drinking water.
