Sanders Calls For Snyder’s Resignation In Wake Of Flint Water Crisis

President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration on Saturday paving the way for federal aid to deal with the crisis.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder had asked the president to declare both an emergency and an expedited major disaster in the county where the city of Flint has been dealing with the fallout from lead-contaminated drinking water.

The water poisoning seems to be the result of a decision made by the state two years ago, when the MI state government took over Flint’s budget during a state of financial emergency.

Obama declared that “an emergency exists in the state of MI and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts”, a White House statement read.

Flint switched its water source from Detroit to the Flint River in 2014 after which it has switched back to Detroit’s water. Emergency funding is initially limited to $5 million, and the president must alert Congress if additional resources are needed.

Attorney General Bill Schuette said Friday he will investigate the water crisis to determine whether any MI laws have been violated. Since then, Snyder has begun using the National Guard, in combination with NGO relief efforts, to distribute bottled water, filters, and tests to Flint residents. Democratic presidential contender, Bernie Sanders has stepped into the fray, joining outraged Flint residents and calling for the resignation of Governor Snyder, reports CBS News.

The more corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from the city pipes more than Detroit water did, leading to the problems.

Residents complained about the taste, odor and appearance of the water immediately after the switch, but those complaints were largely ignored by city officials.

FEMA has been authorized to identify, mobilize and provide equipment and resources necessary to alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the contaminated water in Flint and avert the threat of a catastrophe.

Though Clinton did not call on Gov. Snyder to resign, she, too, released an outraged statement about events in Flint, in which she cited the city’s large minority population and high rate of poverty. In October, Snyder appointee Dan Wyant, DEQ’s director, admitted his department had improperly interpreted the federal Lead and Copper Rule created to protect drinking water.

“Children in Flint will be plagued with brain damage and other health problems”.