Cher donates thousands of bottles of water to troubled Flint

“The fight is not over, but this is a huge hurdle that we have surpassed, so to all of the people not only in Flint, but the state of MI and all around the country, we have to say thank you, thank you very much”, said Weaver.

President Obama on Saturday declared a federal emergencyin Flint, meaning federal financial aid will be available to assist with the drinking water crisis.

The city switched water supplies in 2014 while a new pipeline was under construction and the corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from old pipes.

The Michigan attorney general and the federal Justice Department are also investigating whether any laws were broken.

Gov. Rick Snyder requested the federal declaration Friday, saying needs “far exceed the state’s capability”.

Over the long term, replacing old lead service lines at Flint homes and other private properties could cost $54 million, the governor told the president.

Problems arose after state officials ignored months of health warnings about the foul-smelling water as residents complained that it was making them sick. The lead contamination was a result of the water not being treated well enough to prevent the corrosion of lead pipes and fixtures, which in turn led to the toxic element leaching into the water supply.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in the process of reviewing whether the Flint, Mich., water crisis qualifies to receive federal assistance.

“We are utilizing all state resources to ensure Flint residents have access to clean and safe drinking water and today I am asking President Obama to provide additional resources as our recovery efforts continue”, Snyder said in a statement.

Cher called her friend Brad Horwitz, who is involved with Icelandic Glacial and he reached out the company chairman Jon Olafsson who committed to double Cher’s purchase for the people.

FEMA has been authorized to identify, mobilize and provide equipment and resources necessary to alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the contaminated water in Flint and avert the threat of a catastrophe. The state also dismissed reports of elevated lead levels in the blood of Flint children from pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha before for the first time publicly acknowledging a problem around the beginning of October in 2015. “People who can not afford to give water are doing it, even though they have issues of their own unresolved”, Castro said. As Sanders pointed out in his statement, although lead poisoning presents health risks to everyone, officials in Flint are particularly anxious about the city’s children due to research revealing that lead exposure can seriously affect a developing child’s IQ and result in learning disabilities.

National Guard troops and local volunteers are now working to deliver bottled water and water filters to residents.