Michigan Governor Deploys National Guard to Hand Out Water in Flint

Volunteers and police are knocking on doors in Flint to distribute bottled water, filters and lead test kits to residents in the MI city that’s confronting a water crisis.

They began escorting eight teams of volunteers Tuesday morning, trudging through 3 inches of snow with more falling. In the meantime, he said state and local agencies are working with volunteers and others to make sure every Flint resident has access to water filters, bottled water and water testing services.

While the state is beginning the process of going door-to-door to make sure residents have water filters and urging residents to get their blood tested for lead levels, Clinton said the federal government should set up that health monitoring.

The water problems started in 2014, when emergency managers appointed by Snyder oversaw the city’s switch to the Flint River as its water source. Children who have been poisoned by lead are likely to develop behavior issues, learning disabilities and other problems, and “we know we have to get services and support to these kids and these families”, she said. “In terms of saying, here’s an opportunity for filters, bottled water, testing and ways to help them out”.

Snyder, who has also faced criticism, said Monday that the water situation is a “crisis” and last week declared an emergency.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder may ask for help from the Federal Government to deal with the water-poisoning crisis that the people of Flint are facing, according to The Detroit News.

Flint has since returned to Detroit’s system for its water, but officials remain concerned that damage to the pipes caused by the Flint River means that lead could continue to impair supply.

The city’s tap water became contaminated with too much lead after the city switched its water supply a year ago to the Flint River to save money while under state management.

The U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency have stepped in to conduct their own investigations into what went wrong.

Given the potential health and infrastructure implications of the Flint drinking water crisis, the water bill issue could be small change in the big picture.

Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said his city water bill for him, his wife and infant child is about $150 a month, Most residents there can’t afford such charges, even for drinkable water, he said.

“At the State of the Union tonight, I spoke to President Obama and reiterated my call for federal assistance due to the lack of a sufficient response from the state”, Kildee said in a late Tuesday statement.