Obama declares emergency in MI over bad water: White House

Obama’s decision to issue the emergency declaration on Saturday frees up the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts, help with emergency measures “and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Genesee County”, according to a White House announcement.

In what’s become a huge government scandal, Flint’s drinking water became contaminated with lead after the city temporarily switched its supply source from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to more corrosive and polluted Flint River water, treated at the Flint water treatment plant.

The order authorizes FEMA to provide water, filters, filter cartridges and other needed items, FEMA spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said on Twitter.

Obama’s move was actually less than what Snyder wanted, as he had asked for federal disaster area declaration and $55 million in federal assistance, and indicated the full cost could end up being closer to $100 million.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency in the town on December 14, followed by the same declaration from Gov. Rick Snyder on January 6. Emergency funding is initially limited to $5 million, and the president must alert Congress if additional resources are needed.

Flint returned to the Detroit system in October after elevated lead levels were discovered in children and could tap into the new pipeline by summer.

The state’s top legal official, Attorney General Bill Schuette said on Friday he was investigating the water crisis to determine if any MI laws were violated, according to WTVR Richmond.

“A city of 99,000 people – a majority of them African-American, 40 percent in poverty – spent almost two years drinking and bathing in water that we now know contained risky amounts of lead”, Clinton said in a statement. However, the water was not treated properly, which led to metal being corroded in the water pipes contaminating the water. Lead exposure can cause learning disabilities and behavioural problems in children. There are boxes for 18 different disasters but none for “public health” as listed by the Snyder administration.

A lawsuit has been raised against both Governor Snyder and the State of MI for allegedly ignoring the city’s water crisis since it started in April 2014.

“The people of Flint deserve more than an apology”.