Snyder contends with growing pressure after Flint water fiasco

The governor of MI has activated the National Guard in order to hand out bottled water and filters in Flint, where a lead-poisoning crisis has forced residents to avoid the tap water.

Overton said it was he who arranged for the delivery of 1,500 water filters to Flint last August, working with Snyder’s director of the Office of Urban Initiatives, Harvey Hollins, and an anonymous donor who paid for the filters.

In January 2015, residents were lining up daily to get free bottled water and the city was found to be in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

But even as Snyder works the muscles in his face to appear as contrite and apologetic as possible, it now appears that Flint residents who are behind on their lead poison… There are also sites where residents can pick up clean donated water. The reason for the color change is essentially one-fold.

Flint’s tap water became contaminated with too much lead after the city switched its water supply in 2014 while a new pipeline was under construction. As a result the water running through the iron water mains picked up both the brown color and a dangerously high amount of lead. “And I want all MI citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an aging infrastructure”.

Snyder’s statement doesn’t mention Flint’s water crisis, just the “challenges facing the city”. And the call-up is awfully late as the crisis has been going on since October.

Governor Snyder also requested the aid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate a recovery plan for the city, and a FEMA spokesman confirmed the appointment of a disaster recovery coordinator to aid the state.

Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard late Tuesday, and some members were expected to arrive as soon as Wednesday to assist state authorities and volunteers in the distribution effort.

State troopers and sheriff’s deputies escorted eight teams Tuesday.

Snyder said in a prepared statement.

The city realized savings of about $4 million annually by using the Flint River, according to The Associated Press.

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), whose congressional district includes Flint Township, told the Detroit News, that “Flint needs more action and less talk from Gov. Snyder”, and noted that he welcomes the Michigan National Guard’s support. “I mean, officials in Flint, Michigan, should all be rounded up and put behind bars – and if you need some extra lead for those bars, just hold a town blood drive”.

On Jan. 5, Gov. Snyder declared a state of emergency in the City of Flint at the request of Flint and Genesee County officials.

And in September, Flint’s Hurley Medical Center published another damning analysis of the water, entitled “Pediatric Lead Exposure in Flint, MI: Concerns from the Medical Community”.

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