Slammed as “ludicrous, the move comes as Republican Governor Rick Snyder finally asked President Obama to step in and declare a federal state of emergency”.
Advertisement
The new emergency declaration will enable the Federal Emergency Management Agency to spearhead efforts to “alleviate the hardship and suffering” of Flint residents.
FEMA’s David G. Samaniego will serve as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area, and the president is also offering assistance to help identify other ways the federal government could support the recovery effort beyond the emergency declaration.
Problems with Flint’s public water system date to a decision almost two years ago by a receiver, appointed by the governor, who chose to cut costs by drawing the city’s drinking water from the polluted Flint River instead of from Lake Huron.
The money will go towards water filters, filter cartridges and other items for residents.
Much larger funds can be made available under a federal disaster claim, but those are normally reserved for natural disasters rather than man-made ones like the water crisis in Flint.
He said the need in the city of nearly 100,000 people “far exceeds the state’s capability” and sought a disaster declaration. Emergency funding is initially limited to $5 million, and the president must alert Congress if additional resources are needed.
Cher is donating bottled water to the residents of Flint struggling to obtain safe water amid a lead contamination crisis.
Bernie Sanders called for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to resign on Saturday over Flint’s drinking water crisis. Corrosive water leached lead from old pipes into the water supply.
Despite residents complaining about the water, and a pediatrician presenting a report about elevated levels of lead in the blood of children living in Flint, the problem was not publicly acknowledged until October 2015.
“Flint residents are the victims in this crisis and they deserve a more urgent response equal to the gravity of this crisis”, he said in a statement earlier this week.
Also Friday, Michigan’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Bill Schuette, announced an investigation to determine if any laws were broken in the months following the switch in water source.
Advertisement
On Oct. 1, county officials declared a state of emergency.
