MI seeks emergency help from Obama in Flint water crisis

The US House of Representatives voted 253-166 this week to overturn a controversial rule to protect America’s clean water in spite of a growing scandal in Flint, Michigan over poisonous levels of lead. Flint resident Tony Palladino Jr.’s sign reads “Synder’s dirty little secret” atop a crossed out city of Flint on the map on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 outside of the Capitol in Lansing, Mich., in protest aga…

The statement says Snyder’s request will be reviewed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will advise the president on whether the declarations should be granted.

For months, water drawn from the Flint River leached lead from old plumbing into homes after the city switched its drinking water in 2014 from Detroit’s system to save money. The state largely ignored local complaints about the quality of the water until acknowledging a problem in October.

If federal aid is granted by the Obama adminstration, Snyder said possible assistance might include temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-priced loans to cover uninsured property losses.

In preparation for a late-September 2015 press conference and in response to data released by Edwards, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon emailed fellow staff, “I would like to make a strong statement with a demonstration of proof that the lead blood levels seen are not out of the ordinary and are attributable to seasonal fluctuations”.

“This should have been done a long time ago”.

Snyder said Friday that Weaver’s full authority as mayor should be restored.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Friday he has opened an investigation into the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water, which has caused a public health crisis and led to a state request for a federal disaster declaration.

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

Snyder’s statement doesn’t mention Flint’s water crisis, just the “challenges facing the city”. Exposure to lead can cause behaviour problems and learning disabilities in children as kidney ailments in adults.

“Nobody has answered that question”, Weaver, who was elected in November, said earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Michigan officials stunned the community this week when they also reported an increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases over the past two years in Genesee County, where Flint is located.

On Tuesday, Snyder signed an executive order activating the Michigan National Guard to inform residents about the availability of filters, bottled water, water testing kits and information on lead. FEMA has appointed a disaster recovery coordinator.