Snyder asks Obama for emergency declaration in water crisis

The water crisis emerged more than a year ago after the city switched water sources in April of 2014.

Health officials are investigating whether two Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in and around Flint, Michigan, were caused or impacted by the ongoing water-contamination crisis, authorities said Thursday.

This week, the Governor activated the National Guard, and is pledging that officials will contact every household in Flint to make sure residents have a filter, and bottled water.

Other defendants listed in the case include former Flint emergency financial manager Darnell Earley, former Flint Public Works Director Howard Croft, who recently resigned, and “all others similarly situated”, according to the complaint.

The health department said it may be hard to connect the legionella cases to the Flint water crisis since there is a lack of bacterial specimens from these patients.

In the longer term, he said local, state and federal officials would look to figure out what went wrong so that a similar crisis does not break out in any other corner of the state.

MI health officials said they can’t conclude that the increase in Legionnaires’ cases was related to Flint’s water. In 47 percent of the cases, the water source at the primary residence was from the Flint River.

Rev. David Bullock of Detroit, who spoke at the rally, argued that Snyder has done too little, too late in Flint.

Snyder requested supplementary federal aid in the form of Individual Assistance and Public Assistance to help eligible residents and state and local government entities to protect the health, safety and welfare of Flint residents.

Assistance could also help cover some of the costs associated with damage to public facilities and infrastructure, including city schools and the water system.

The CDC now has no plans to send staff to Flint, and says state and local health department have jurisdiction over investigations in their states, Branam said. A National Guard spokesman said the plan called for getting 30 soldiers into the city by Friday. Chief James Tolbert said his department has received reports of people selling water filters, even though filters are being distributed for free.

The suit also alleges a violation of the Consumer Protection Act because city and state leaders said the water was suitable for drinking.

Flint, about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, returned to using Detroit water in October after tests found some children had elevated levels of lead in their blood and lead was found in higher-than-acceptable levels in the water. Exposure to lead can cause behaviour problems and learning disabilities in children as kidney ailments in adults.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat who represents the Flint area, has consistently criticized Snyder’s response to the issue and advocated for greater federal assistance. “Flint residents are the victims in this crisis and they deserve a more urgent response equal to the gravity of this crisis”, he said in a statement earlier this week.