MI governor asks Obama for federal aid in Flint water crisis

The Flint Water Plant tower is shown January 13, 2016 in Flint, Michigan.

Flint’s water became contaminated with lead in 2014, when the city switched to water from the more corrosive Flint River, which caused lead to leach into drinking water.

Snyder’s request will be reviewed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will make a recommendation to President Obama about whether a major disaster declaration should be granded.

Snyder is asking for supplementary federal aid in the form of Individual Assistance and Public Assistance to help residents, and state and local governments to “protect the health, safety, and welfare of Flint residents”.

Schuette says he wants to know if any laws were violated when the city water supply was switched over to Flint River Water.

A state of emergency was declared in Flint after health officials found elevated levels of lead in the city’s water.

“We plan to go every day this week and we’ll continue until everyone has safe drinking water”, state police Lt. Dave Kaiser said. Lead poisoning can cause developmental delays and learning difficulties in children. Governor Snyder and his administration could have protected Flint residents, but instead they turned a blind eye, even assuring residents that their water was safe.

The documents and emails were released by researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University through a Freedom of Information Act request and viewed by CNN.

Meantime, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says he was launch an investigation into the Flint Water Situation. “Once again… I beg, plead… cry for the [Environmental Protection Agency] to get into the Flint drinking water investigation and stop with the denial; your continued silence has proven deadly”.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat who represents the Flint area, has consistently criticized Snyder’s response to the issue and advocated for greater federal assistance. In those Legionnaires’ cases, the patients had “no exposure to a Flint hospital in the two weeks prior to illness nor were their homes on the Flint water system”, according to the health department. “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.

Chief health officer Mark Valacak told The Associated Press he “had no idea” that Snyder was holding a news conference Wednesday to disclose the findings.

Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reported this week that cases of the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ Disease have soared in Genesee County following the city’s move to the toxic water source. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapor from contaminated water systems, hot tubs and cooling systems, but the bacteria don’t spread from person to person.