MI governor apologizes for Flint water crisis, vows ‘I will fix it’

“Government failed you – federal, state and local leaders – by breaking the trust you placed in us”, Snyder said, as reported by Fox6 News.

Governor Snyder is asking lawmakers for $28 million to meet emergency needs in Flint, including getting water filters and helping with unpaid water bills.

The White House is appointing a Health and Human Services Department official to lead federal efforts to help the city of Flint, Michigan, deal with its water crisis.

On Saturday, the president signed an emergency declaration for Flint, clearing the way for federal aid as the city responds to the fact that its water supply is contaminated with lead. “I’m sorry most of all I let you down”. They know you never would have done this to a wealthy white suburb.

In his closing remarks, Snyder asked the people of MI to pray for Flint residents and to hold him accountable.

The announcement comes after the National Guard was deployed in the city to deliver bottled water door-to-door.

Among the actions Snyder called for was to have road projects include discussions on what more can be done to fix infrastructure at the time the projects are underway.

Gov. Rick Snyder offered another apology and owned up to the water crisis bearing the bulk of the responsibility of what is happening in Flint. Early testing has suggested that once the fixtures are replaced, elevated lead-levels in the water drop into the safe zone, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Republican front runner Donald Trump said Tuesday that “it’s a shame what’s happening in Flint”, but added that he did not want to comment further.

Several hundred protestors advocating for the city of Flint surrounded the Capitol Building in the hours before Gov. Rick Snyder’s sixth State of the State Address, chanting “Snyder Must Go”, and “Justice for Flint” in 20 degree temperatures.

Mayor Karen Weaver says that would cost more than a billion dollars.

The singer has joined forces with bosses at Icelandic Glacial to donate over 181,000 bottles of water to the city’s residents, which will be distributed by the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan from Wednesday (20Jan16), but she’s still in disbelief about the problem. Flint had purchased the Lake Huron water from Detroit, which treated it for distribution.

The EPA informed the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality last April that the water in Flint contained risky levels of lead, but the warning wasn’t communicated to the public at that time.

October 2015 – Flint water system was switched back to Detroit water – but it may have been too late as lead was already found in the water piped into residents’ homes. Research shows lead exposure can affect a developing child’s IQ, resulting in learning disabilities. Snyder said he would request long-term health monitoring of children and others who may have been exposed.

Raising the issue unprompted during Sunday evening’s Democratic presidential debate, Clinton took responsibility for spurring action in the state’s leadership.

The US environmental agency said its oversight was hampered “by failures and resistance at the state and local levels to work with us in a forthright, transparent and proactive manner”.