Residents of Flint, Mich., in need of drinking water will be receiving aid from the National Guard in response to a months-long water crisis in the city. A state health official told Flint residents Thursday either to drink bottled water or use a filter to remove lead.
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The United Way says that so far, it has sent more than 11,000 filter systems, 5,000 replacement filters and an ongoing supply of bottled water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, and provided a dedicated driver for daily distribution.
FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder late Tuesday activated the National Guard to help distribute bottled water and filters in Flint as it deals with a drinking water crisis.
The Detroit Free Press reports Guard members will be at fire stations in the city to hand out bottled water, lead-test kits and filters to city residents.
In addition to the call up the Michigan National Guard, Governor Snyder also requested help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate the efforts of other federal agencies looking to fix a problem that has been called a “human rights violation” and a “Katrina-like situation”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
In December the city said lead levels were still “well above” the acceptable federal level in many homes.
Flint has since returned to Detroit’s system for its water, but officials remain concerned about the corrosion caused by the Flint River water.
The Free Press says criticism of Snyder and the state’s response to the crisis continues. Most alarmingly, a September report found the proportion of infants and children with an above-average level of lead in their blood had almost doubled since the water switch was made. Lead exposure can impair both mental and physical development in children, sometimes causing “profound and permanent adverse health effects”, according to the World Health Organization.
The mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver, declared a state of emergency on December 14, 2015. Officials there punted questions to the city, and no one in the city offered answers Tuesday.
Last week Snyder declared a state of emergency in Genesee County, which surrounds Flint, and this week he created a second task force to work on solutions for the city’s long-term water woes.
Snyder has been criticized for his slow response to the water crisis.
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Shortly after the switch, residents water began coming in through the taps not clear, but brown. Former DEQ Director Dan Wyant resigned last month. Over the next year and a half, a series of public announcements and troubling disclosures, many of them first reported by investigative journalist Curt Guyette, described Flint’s deteriorating water quality and growing public dismay.
