Some Michigan National Guard leaders have arrived in Flint for briefings on the drinking water crisis ahead of a larger contingent of Guardsmen who will help distribute bottled water, filters and other supplies to residents.
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The city’s water supply is contaminated with toxic levels of lead, and residents are unable to drink the water that comes through their taps.
On the long list of things that state officials should move swiftly to correct in Flint, the wiping away of this particular injustice in the city’s water crisis ought to rank near the top.
Snyder’s office also asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate response efforts by other federal agencies on Tuesday. The governor ordered Flint’s water to be reconnected to the Detroit system past year, and declared a state of emergency last week.
“We plan to go every day this week, and we’ll continue until everyone has safe drinking water”, state police Lt. Dave Kaiser said in his own press conference.
Samuel Smith is happy to receive a case of bottled water and a new water filter at his home on Mallery St.in Flint, Mich., as volunteers accompanied by Michigan State Police and Gennessee County Sheriff’s Deputies bring residents water filters and bottled water on Tuesday Jan 12, 2016.
Dennis Muchmore, former chief of staff, sent a concerned email to the state health agency this past July fearing the state of MI was blowing off Flint residents’ water system concerns.
Temperatures in Flint have been plunging in recent weeks with three inches of snow now lying on the ground. The governor declared a state of emergency in Flint on January 5.
Now, after just 2 percent of the city has been tested, 43 children have already been diagnosed with unsafe amounts of lead in their blood – a condition that can cause mental and physical development problems.
The paper said that the troops would take over distribution sites now being manned by American Red Cross volunteers, allowing the volunteers to begin door-to-door operations. They also want to ensure monitoring protocols are properly followed.
Edwards said city and state officials failed to implement proper corrosion control when it began taking untreated water from the Flint River, causing lead from aged pipes to seep into the water.
The director of that agency resigned last month. “Sadly, myself and many leaders of my community have advocated for this type of response for months”.
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Rick Snyder was in Flint Monday to address charges that the state was aware of the danger created in April 2014 after the city’s water supply source was switched from Lake Huron to the more polluted and corrosive Flint River.
