The governor’s address did little to quiet his critics.
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White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, after briefing reporters on the appointment of Nicole Lurie, Health and Human Services’ assistant secretary for preparedness and response, to lead the federal response in Flint, also said he “would expect” Obama to meet with Weaver by the end of the day Tuesday, too.
“Flint deserves an immediate response equal to the gravity of this ongoing public health emergency”.
Meanwhile, residents have taken to the streets to push for more action in Flint.
Outside where the governor spoke in Lansing, protesters gathered and demanded that Snyder step down.
“The only thing we can do with it is flush the toilet and, unfortunately, we have to shower in this contaminated mess”, Melissa Mays, an activist who helped start an organization called “Water You Fighting For” and a resident since 2002, told the Daily News.
“But if he continues to place blame on our state departments including DEQ and DHHS, I believe he is pointing fingers”, she said.
“Just to see the city of Flint just go down for the last decade, you know, with the crime, with no jobs, all the way down to us not having any water”, Hornaday said.
Outside, a boisterous crowd chanted “What do we want?”
Financially strapped Flint was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit’s system to the more corrosive water in the nearby Flint River in April 2014 to save money.
Mays and her husband, who live with their three sons, are paying over $200 per month for the water from their faucets, she said. The river had a reputation for nastiness, and after the switch, residents complained their water looked, smelled and tasted amusing. But it wasn’t safe after all, as Virginia Tech researchers found in August after testing the water in people’s homes. In October, after state health officials confirmed elevated levels of lead in the bloodstreams of Flint children, the city was switched back to Detroit’s Lake Huron water system.
Flint residents pick up bottled water and water filters at a fire station in Flint, Michigan, Jan. 13, 2016. President Barack Obama issued a state of emergency over the weekend, allowing the town to receive federal assistance.
When asked during the fourth Democratic debate to raise an issue that the moderators hadn’t touched on yet, Clinton pointed to the water crisis in Flint, calling it a “civil rights issue”.
KING: The Governor says that Clinton is using the disaster to make political points. “I’m reminding our elected officials of what my kindergarten teacher told me”.
$2 million to address funding needs for the Michigan National Guard’s role in providing support to the residents of Flint.
Standing alongside her, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pledged that he’s committed to tackling this and other issues related to the crisis. “But we’re going to find out. Stuff is revealed that hasn’t been revealed”, he said.
Locals later filed a class action lawsuit accusing the city of failing to live up to an August court order requiring cuts of 35% on water and sewer rates.
“They need financial aid”.
RICHARDSON: What happens after the water and filter is gone?
The effort will be led by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who is credited with sounding the alarm a year ago about high levels of lead in children.
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“They were staring at a public health emergency, and they sat on it for over 10 months”, Pitt said, CNN reported.
