Door-to-door effort underway in Flint water crisis

Rick Snyder activated the Michigan National Guard Tuesday, with more than 30 members of the reserve force expected to arrive in the Genesee County seat by Friday.

“There’s no delay, this is the normal process”, Snyder said. “However, we also need federal assistance as we continue to cope with this man-made water disaster”.

In case you missed it, the town of Flint, Michigan is under a state of emergency because their drinking water is too toxic to drink.

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 that began months ago.

Flint’s water troubles began in April 2014, when the city of 102,000 residents in southeastern MI began sourcing its water from the nearby Flint River instead of receiving Lake Huron water from its longtime water supplier, the Detroit city water department.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved Snyder’s request to coordinate a recovery plan. In December, Snyder apologized for the toxic water and accepted resignations of several officials.

And yet, bills have been issued, money is being collected, in a city where 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, where the water hasn’t been drinkable, and where residents have been buying bottled water for months. The Guardsmen will join the American Red Cross in a relief effort involving state authorities and volunteers to distribute bottled water, water filters, lead testing kits, and more to Flint residents.

Flint’s water has been contaminated since the city switched its water supply source in 2014, but Snyder didn’t declare a state of emergency until last week, when blood tests found 43 children with elevated lead levels. Combining a school carnival with medical tests to check children’s blood for abnormally high levels of lead, the event was an example of the freakish circumstances that families are contending with in Flint, Michigan’s seventh largest city.

The governor signed an executive order to activate the Guard.

Kildee said in a statement. Chief James Tolbert said his department has received reports of people selling water filters even though filters are being distributed for free. He referenced floods in Detroit, saying it took more than 30 days to go through the process.

A public museum in Flint has commissioned a traveling exhibit on the science and history of the city’s water system in response to the ongoing crisis.

Snyder also said he has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help provide resources to help Flint.