Residents in Flint, Michigan have been outraged since the discoverythat their water is tainted with lead, a substance has irreversible neurological and developmental effects on children.
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Snyder is seeking a presidential emergency and major disaster declaration to help residents as the battle to rid city water of lead contamination continues.
In his statement to Obama, Snyder requests “federal aid in the form of Individual Assistance and Public Assistance to help eligible residents and state and local government entities to protect the health, safety and welfare of Flint residents”.
Flint’s tap water became contaminated with too much lead after the city switched its water supply in 2014 to save money while under state financial management. The disclosure came as the state Department of Environmental Quality has been under fire for weeks for not properly enforcing corrosion controls linked to toxic lead leaching into Flint’s water supply.
The announcement from Michigan’s attorney general comes just hours after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced he’s asking President Barack Obama to issue an emergency and major disaster declaration.
The White House said on Friday it would consider Snyder’s request, which was being reviewed by FEMA. Schuette says the goal of the investigation is to determine whether any state laws were broken in the events leading up to the public health emergency. Mayor Karen Weaver told a Detroit radio station this morning she was glad to see Snyder move forward with the request.
Snyder, who has also faced criticism, said Monday that the water situation is a “crisis” and last week declared an emergency.
“The Flint water crisis reached disturbing new heights this week with revelations that cases of Legionnaires’ Disease there have spiked since it switched its water source to the Flint river”.
A buildup of lead in the body can cause mental and physical problems, or even death, and small children are especially vulnerable.
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The federal Environmental Protection Agency is investigating why an anti-corrosive agent wasn’t used, as the lawsuit contends. Snyder has previously said it was around October 1. While office policy generally precludes the confirmation of investigations, in this situation Schuette said that the people of Flint and throughout MI are rightly concerned and anxious about this situation. He pledged this week that officials would contact every household in Flint to check whether residents have bottled water and a filter and whether they want to be tested for lead exposure while his administration works on a long-term solution.
