“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 a statement.
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State health officials say they can not confirm that the change in the water supply caused the spike, since some cases occurred among people who hadn’t been exposed to Flint’s water. Public assistance helps cover some of the costs incurred by state and local governments due to damage to public facilities and infrastructures, such as city schools and the water system. The numerous and severe health risks associated with lead exposure to children include learning difficulties and slower growth, as well as stomach pains and muscle weakness, while for pregnant women exposure includes the possibility of premature birth and a smaller baby.
Prior to the time the State was forced to admit that it was responsible for poisoning the water, the State knowingly made false statements concerning the drinkability of the water.
Flint’s mayor says she expects Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s request to President Barack Obama for an emergency and major disaster declaration amid the city’s water crisis to result in more help for the city. “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.
Snyder spokesman Dave Murray told MLive.com that the governor “acted aggressively” and announced an action plan after becoming aware of the lead levels. Speaking generally, Mark Valacak, chief health officer at the county health department, said his agency is always monitoring for communicable diseases.
An official at the Genesee County health department says the agency has been “bombarded” with phone calls from anxious residents, a day after state officials said the number of Legionnaires’ disease cases had increased.
The governor’s request follows Wednesday’s public health announcement that Flint has seen an uptick in legionnaires’ disease cases and this may be a result of the switched water supply.
Legionella, the bacteria that can lead to Legionnaires’ Disease, tends to thrive in warm, stagnant water, Wells said.
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The Flint Journal reports that Kroger Co. of MI and UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 370 of Flint worked together to donate 16 truckloads of bottled water to the city. And even though the supply was switched back to the Detroit water supply in October, the anti-corrosive chemicals that were used to prevent the leaching have not yet been able to stop lead from being present in the water, a state spokeswoman told ABC News last month. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapor from contaminated water systems, hot tubs and cooling systems, but the bacteria don’t spread from person to person.
