Michigan Governor Apologizes For Flint Water Crisis, Will Release Emails

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has come under fire for handling the drinking water situation in Flint so badly that some critics have dubbed it “Katrina II”. He said his Flint-related emails from 2014 and 2015 would be available on the state website Wednesday. 9,000 children were exposed to lead in the water, and that is going to result in some of them growing up with developmental disabilities, lower IQ’s and possibly behavior problems.

In a description of the early evening meeting, the White House said Obama “heard firsthand how the residents of Flint are dealing with the ongoing public health crisis, and the challenges that still exist for the city, its residents, and the business community”. “It is a failure of the city officials, it is a failure of the county officials, it is a failure of the state officials and the men and women of MI have been betrayed”.

He also issued a heartfelt apology: “You deserve better”.

Financially strapped Flint was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit’s system to the more corrosive water in the nearby Flint River in April 2014 to save money.

Snyder is expected to lay out some of those steps when he addresses the Michigan Congress on Tuesday night.

Shariff said the state needs to replace Flint’s water infrastructure at no cost to residents and businesses and give refunds on water bills dating back to the time the city began drawing water from the Flint River.

Gov. Rick Snyder, looking at time as if he were about to cry, began his State of the State speech addressing the Flint water crisis, vowing to resolve the issue.

President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration Saturday for Flint, Michigan, that clears the way for federal aid for the city, which is undergoing a drinking water crisis.

Lead poisoning can cause mental and physical development problems.

Flint returned to using Detroit’s water in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children.

Campaigning in New Hampshire, Ohio’s Republican Gov. John Kasich said, “Well, I mean, they have to find a solution to it, a way out of it. I think the governor’s moved the National Guard in, and you know, I’m sure he will manage this appropriately”.

The administration is naming Nicole Lurie, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health Human Services, to coordinate federal response to the Flint crisis, Earnest said.

But Snyder promised even more Tuesday night, including a slate of fixes he hopes to fund in a budget request he’ll soon send to the Legislature. He pointedly thanked the whistle blowers who detected the lead levels in the water, and in children’s blood, prompting a flurry of action in recent weeks.

“They were staring at a public health emergency, and they sat on it for over 10 months”, he said, further criticizing leaders who assured residents the water was safe when they knew it wasn’t true.

“We have toxic water because we have a toxic system”, she said.

The U.S. Justice Department is helping the Environmental Protection Agency investigate, and the state attorney general has opened his own probe, which could focus on whether environmental laws were broken or if there was official misconduct.