Cher To Donate Drinking Water To US City

For more than a year, water drawn from the Flint River leached lead from old pipes into homes after the city switched its drinking water.

“The president’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the goal of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population”, the White House said in a statement.

FEMA has been authorized to provide water, filters, cartridges and other items for 90 days.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency in the town on December 14, followed by the same declaration from Gov. Rick Snyder on January 6.

President Obama has issued an emergency order over the poisoned water supply in Flint, Michigan. “Flint residents are the victims in this crisis and they deserve a more urgent response equal to the gravity of this crisis”, he said in a statement earlier this week.

Flint residents, grappling with toxic lead contamination in their drinking water after city officials opted to save money by changing their water supply, are now garnering the highest levels of attention, not only from the state but the federal government.

However, the corrosive water was not treated properly, which led to metal leaching from old pipes.

Protesters calling for Governor Snyder’s resignation and urging president Obama to visit Flint when he is in Detroit for next week’s auto show. “Children in Flint will be plagued with brain damage and other health problems”.

The U.S. Justice Department is helping the Environmental Protection Agency investigate the matter and state Attorney General Bill Schuette has opened his own probe, which could focus on whether environmental laws were broken or if there was official misconduct.

Flint, which is about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, returned to using that city’s water in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children.

The limitation to natural disasters “would seem to preclude the crisis in Flint, which could still qualify for a designation as an emergency”, writes Todd Spangler for the Detroit Free Press. “We are humbled and honored to help the people of Flint get through this crisis”, said Jon Olafsson.