National Guard Called in to Help with Flint, MI Water Crisis

Flint’s water crisis began in 2014 when the city was cut out of Detroit’s water system, which is sourced by a treated supply from Lake Huron, and was forced to use the Flint River as a temporary source.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services started doing testing for lead levels on a biweekly basis in December. One reason that the increase in cases can not be directly related to the change in Flint water supply is due to the lack of clinical Legionella isolates from case patients. Ten patients died, he said. Volunteers and police carrying bottled water, filters and lead test kits knocked on doors in Flint on Tuesday, seeking to help residents in the MI city that’s confronting a water crisis.

She says they have been seeing four or 6 to a dozen a year in Genesee County.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that infect the lungs. It is not transmitted person to person.

According to the CDC, the most common symptoms of the disease include a high fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches and headaches.

Zelenko has proposed that the City of Flint allow the capping of its infrastructure that serves the Burton franchise customers, so that the City of Burton can then connect those 65 customers to its water system.

However, there are efforts to help extend beyond those from the state and federal government. Though they complained of bad tastes and smells after the changeover, the Department of Environmental Quality only conceded its failure in October of 2015. The corrosion of the water was never dealt with and was later released into the city’s aging pipes for public consumption.

Snyder has apologized for the state’s mishandling of the situation and declared a state of emergency in Genesee County to bring in additional state resources.

Snyder and other state and local officials have been criticized by residents and other groups for not responding more quickly.

The water source was switched back in October. The task force said the department’s failure to do so led to the contamination of Flint’s water. To do so, he said, would require matching the strain of Legionnaires’ in someone’s body to the strain in the water.

He added, “What’s clear is that there’s an association, which means that the increase of the Legionnaires increased pretty dramatically”.

And while it began to appear shortly after the switch in the water supply they can’t prove that the two are linked, but some are saying there is a strong likelihood.

They said there is no evidence that the outbreak is ongoing. “There are just so many places where you wish people had done things differently”.

Gov. Rick Snyder activated the National Guard late Tuesday, and Lt. Col. William Humes confirmed about a half-dozen representatives arrived Wednesday morning.

“I’m glad the state is putting in resources and we welcome the Michigan National Guard with open arms”, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in a statement Wednesday. But officials say they don’t know if the increase is a result of chemical-tainted water, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Snyder on Tuesday also requested support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordinating a recovery plan with other federal agencies that have the programs, authorities or technical expertise to help. He pledged that he was seeking federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with guidance from a task force he established.