Teams to take bottled water, other resources to Flint homes

As the governor and mayor of Flint try to figure out how to deal with the crisis, protesters continued to call for Snyder’s dismissal over the handling of the water crisis.

Said the state will look for new opportunities to expand assistance to Flint, including economic and community development, education, and “whatever else we can do”.

Shortly after officials switched the source of their drinking water to the Flint River from Lake Huron in April 2014 to save money, residents started complaining that their tap water looked unusual, tasted bad and caused rashes. It’s been three months since the state first acknowledged lead contamination in the city’s water supply.

The State says once it is beyond the immediate response phase, state officials will work with the federal government to determine what additional resources are available under their own authority. “This will be a process by showing the steps we’re taking to be proactive”. “Families in Flint were forced to drink lead-tainted water while the administration scoffed at their concerns and cries for help”.

Following the resignation of Michigan’s top environmental official, as well as sustained community demands, the Department of Justice announced this week it is launching an investigation into the water crisis.

Testing in October detected increased lead levels in residential water supplies and in children’s blood. Snyder is the midst of a growing scandal over lead in the Flint water system. But in order to make Flint River water safe for people, it has to receive a special anti-corrosion treatment.

Jackson further explained how he and others in Flint are using their American will power to press through this tragic man-made disaster, saying, “I can’t dwell and wait on them to come, because if we did, we’d still be drinking that lead“. “We just want to do what we do and reach out”, Howell said.

“To date, federal assistance has not been requested by the state”.

Michigan DEQ director Dan Wyant resigned in December 2015 after a state task force report was highly critical of the agency’s handling of the crisis, as did DEQ spokesman Brad Wurfel, whose wife Sara worked as a spokeswoman for Snyder and issued a number of statements related to the water crisis on the governor’s behalf. “People over in Lansing, they forget how the poor folks live”, Pickell said, referring to the state capital. The state could ask for federal help at a later date.