Obama signs emergency declaration in MI water crisis

President Obama has declared the situation an emergency and approved federal aid.

The Flint water crisis started more than a year ago after the city switched water sources, from the Detroit system and to the Flint River, in an effort to save money.

Mr. Snyder said as much as $55 million is needed in the short term to fix damaged lead service lines and as much as $41 million to pay for several months of water distribution and providing residents with testing, water filters and cartridges, the Detroit Free Press reported.

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

The assistance Snyder has requested could include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-priced loans for uninsured property losses and other programs.

Residents complained about the taste, odor and appearance of the water immediately after the switch, but those complaints were largely ignored by city officials. That caused lead, which can cause brain damage and other health problems in children, to leach into the water from pipes and fixtures.

Snyder declared an emergency last week. On Thursday, he asked for Obama’s help. FEMA has appointed a disaster recovery coordinator.

The emergency declaration will unlock $5m (£3.5m) in federal funding.

“Although many individuals and entities at state and local levels contributed to creating and prolonging the problem, (DEQ) is the government agency that has responsibility to ensure safe drinking water in MI”, the task force summary reads.

“Critics say the state’s response – in particular, the governor’s handling of the crisis – has been inadequate at best, criminal at worst”, Michigan Radio’s Steve Carmody reported for NPR earlier this week. Despite the legal limitation, the governor is considering an appeal to exhaust “every opportunity to provide resources” for residents, his spokesman, Dave Murray, said.

But the response has been marked by confusion at times. Genesee County also has seen a spike of Legionnaires’ disease resulting in 10 deaths that may or may not be related to the water crisis, state officials previously said.

The singer wants to make sure that the town’s 100,000 residents have access to clean water and has teamed up with Icelandic Glacial to donate 181,440 bottles of water to the city.