Flint Water Crisis and Scandal: 5 Things to Know

FlLINT, MI-The water crisis in Flint gained a new national spotlight after President Obama declared a federal emergency in the city. Troubles began when the city switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in 2014 in an effort to save money.

After test results in June 2015 showed high levels of lead in Flint’s drinking water, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality asked city officials to find water samples with low levels of lead and later told them to disqualify two samples with high readings, according to public records obtained by the Michigan ACLU and Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech Researcher. The move changed the overall lead level results to an acceptable amount.

A study released in September 2015 by a local pediatrician showed that the number of children in Flint with above-average levels of lead in their blood had nearly doubled since the city began getting its water from the Flint River. The exposure to high levels of lead may cause irreversible brain damage in children. In an opinion piece written for Newsweek by environmental epidemiologist Robert D. Morris, he notes that the city chose to test for lead in the summer rather than in the winter. The piece notes this is significant because in the winter, salt spread on Michigan roads finds it way into the Flint River entering water pipes and leading to the break down of lead present in the pipes.

A task force put together by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was primarily responsible for the state’s failure to deal with the crisis sooner. Snyder accepted the resignation of DEQ director Dan Wyant late last year.

Here are five recent developments in the crisis:

President Obama Declared a Federal Emergency in Flint

The declaration authorizes federal agencies to provide aid to the city for the ongoing water crisis. According to a statement released by the White House on Saturday, the action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), “to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.”

FEMA is authorized to provide water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits, and other necessary items for a period of no more than 90 days.

Gov. Rick Snyder made the request for the emergency declaration on Jan. 14. Snyder’s request for a major disaster declaration was denied by Obama under the Stafford Act, which mandates that relief is only available for natural events.

Bernie Sanders Has Called on Gov. Rick Snyder to Resign

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called on Snyder to resign Saturday for, “his administration’s failure to deal with a lead-poisoning crisis that has sickened thousands of children in Flint, Michigan.”

In a statement, Sanders said Snyder knew about the lead in Flint’s water but did nothing. He went on to say the problems with Flint’s water date to a decision nearly two years ago by a received that was appointed by Snyder. The receiver made the decision to draw the city’s drinking water from the Flint River rather than Lake Huron to cut costs.

“Because of the conduct by Gov. Snyder’s administration and his refusal to take responsibility, families will suffer from lead poisoning for the rest of their lives. Children in Flint will be plagued with brain damage and other health problems. The people of Flint deserve more than an apology,” Sanders said in the statement.

Cher is Donating Bottled Water to Flint

Cher has been teamed up with Icelandic Glacial to donate 181,440 bottles of water to the residents of Flint. The water will reach the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan on Jan. 20.

The food bank will then begin distributing the water for drinking, cooking and washing purposes to those who need it the most, according to a press release issued by Icelandic Global. The water will go directly to community centers, food banks and fire houses focusing in on low income housing areas.

Cher called the situation in Flint, “a tragedy of staggering proportion.”

An outspoken critic of the governor, Cher went on a Twitter rage against Snyder a day after he declared an emergency in Flint.

Michael Moore (a Flint native) Wants Snyder Arrested Over the Water Crisis

Filmmaker and political activist Michael Moore, a Flint native, started a petition on his website calling for Snyder’s arrest claiming that the governor knowingly poisoned the children of Flint. Moore held a rally in the city on Saturday accusing government leaders of intentionally poisoning thousands, saying the crisis was not a mistake.

The Justice Department is Investigating the Flint Water Crisis

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan is investigating the Flint Water Crisis. Shortly after the justice department confirmed the investigation, Snyder declared a state of emergency in the city authorizing state agencies to respond to the crisis.

Snyder had earlier apologized to Flint residents after announcing he had accepted the resignation of former Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant and after the Flint Water Advisory Task Force found the DEQ was “primarily responsible” for failing to ensure the drinking water was safe.