Numerous people from Flint, a city of almost 100,000 residents, still refuse to drink from their taps, even with filters, and instead rely on bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and sometimes bathing. “But I want to tell you that I’ve got your back, that we’re paying attention”. U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and Dan Kildee were aboard the plane, along with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy. [Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images]Many of Flint’s residents have suffered despair and anger at the government response to their water situation.
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Flint-born Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore has called into question Obama’s assurances that the water was now safe, pointing out that water to Flint was still running through “the same corroded lead pipes”. Snyder and Weaver entered the food bank shortly after noon to participate in the briefing. “If you’re using a filter, if you’re installing it, then Flint water at this point is drinkable”.
Later in the day, POTUS had a coughing fit during a speech at Northwestern High School and asked for another glass. The president’s visit also comes amid growing frustrations with actions taken – and not taken – so far, particularly by the State of MI. “I really did need a glass of water”, Obama said.
An independent commission appointed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder determined that the state primarily was responsible for the water contamination in Flint, and he issued an apology.
“They’ll do just fine… they’ll make it as long as we’re there for them, and looking after them and doing the right thing for them and giving them the resources that they need”, he said. “This is a man-made crisis”, the President said.
“This attitude that government is always the enemy forgets that… government is us”, he said. Obama spoke after he was briefed on the federal response to the water contamination and had met privately with nine residents.
“A lot of you are scared; all of you feel let down”, Obama said.
The cases against local and state officials came two years after Flint changed its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River in April 2014, creating the public health crisis that residents are still living with today.
He said every child in Flint who may have been exposed to lead-tainted water should be checked by a physician.
The river water was more corrosive than the Detroit system and caused more lead to leach from its aging pipes.
Obama said children are resilient and it wasn’t until the 1980s that the USA started banning lead in paint and elsewhere. Snyder said he understood why residents were angry and wanted to say he was sorry.
Many in the audience yelled back at Snyder, “You failed”.
A Senate committee last week approved a $220 million (191 million-euro) aid package as part of a wider bill putting aside almost $4.8 billion for water-related projects across the US. The bill could come up for a Senate vote in May. “I came here to tell you directly that I see you, I hear you, and I want to hear directly from you about how this public health crisis has affected your lives”, Obama said.
Outside the school, Reneta Richard, a teacher and Flint resident, said she hoped Obama’s trip would lead to something positive.
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Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech expert who sounded the alarm over Flint’s lead problem previous year, said Obama’s presence in Flint “sends an unbelievable message”. According to Blomquist, over a 10 year period, median home prices in those areas fell more and recovered less than in areas with low environmental risk.
