Cher blasts Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Twitter over water crisis

In this February 3, 2015 photo, Flint residents receive free water being distributed at the Lincoln Park United Methodist Church in Flint, Michigan.

Governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency in Genesee County related to lead contamination of the city of Flint’s water supply.

On Dec. 15, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency because of the water – a proclamation echoed by Genesee County Commissioners on Monday and Snyder on Tuesday.

“I just paid my water bill of $311 and I still can’t drink it”, said Tonya Calhoun, a resident of Flint who said she can’t even cook dinner with the water she is being forced to still pay for.

Recent tweets from Cher also take on Donald Trump, fighting ISIS and remembering her former music partner, Sonny Bono.

The public health crisis began when the city switched from Detroit water to the Flint River water system a year and a half ago. A local hospital discovered that the percentage of Flint children with elevated lead levels almost doubled after the switch, reported WDIV.

Last week, a task force appointed by Snyder squarely blamed the high lead levels in Flint’s water on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Officials say the state will use its own resources during the emergency, but Snyder could request federal help if MI is unable to cope with demands.

Snyder said the damaged water infrastructure caused leaching of lead into the water and damage to the water system. Government agencies passed out over 6,000 water filters, said Michigan Department of Community Health Director Nick Lyon.

“No one really knows the current status of lead in Flint’s water supply”, said Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech researcher whose water testing showed risky levels of lead in the city’s tap water, according to the Detroit News.

” … Millions of people in the USA are still getting water from old lead pipes. I don’t trust it”.