MI governor has National Guard handing out water in Flint

“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”. It was the state’s health department that failed in July a year ago to warn the governor’s chief of staff of concerns about elevated lead levels among Flint’s children.

The Free Press says criticism of Snyder and the state’s response to the crisis continues.

Until now, people in the city have been forced to pick up supplies or equipment from specified sites.

In addition to the call up the Michigan National Guard, Governor Snyder also requested help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate the efforts of other federal agencies looking to fix a problem that has been called a “human rights violation” and a “Katrina-like situation”. Officials in MI first declared a public health emergency in Flint on October 1 in response to tests that showed children with elevated levels of lead.

“I have a degree of responsibility”, Snyder said in a news conference Tuesday.

Now, after just 2 percent of the city has been tested, 43 children have already been diagnosed with unsafe amounts of lead in their blood – a condition that can cause mental and physical development problems.

Flint police meanwhile warned people to be wary of scammers.

MI governor Rick Snyder announced the Guard units’ activation on Tuesday, as protesters chanted calls for his resignation.

Flint’s water troubles began in April 2014, when the city of 102,000 residents in southeastern MI began sourcing its water from the nearby Flint River instead of receiving Lake Huron water from its longtime water supplier, the Detroit city water department.

The United Way says that so far, it has sent more than 11,000 filter systems, 5,000 replacement filters and an ongoing supply of bottled water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, and provided a dedicated driver for daily distribution.

Flint has since returned to Detroit’s system for its water, but officials remain concerned about the corrosion caused by the Flint River water.

“We plan to go every day this week and we’ll continue until everyone has safe drinking water”, state police Lt. Dave Kaiser tells the Associated Press.

In accordance with the Michigan Emergency Management Plan, the director of the Michigan State Police, or her designee, is responsible for coordinating all state efforts, including the Michigan National Guard to assist the City of Flint and Genesee County. “Flint residents are the victims in this crisis and they deserve a more urgent response equal to the gravity of this crisis”.