Gov. Snyder must decide whether to declare disaster in Flint water crisis
Source: MLive - Flint Journal
"FLINT, MI -- Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder said he was sorry for Flint's lead in water crisis.
Now, he must decide whether the situation amounts to a man-made disaster, created while the city was being run by emergency managers that he appointed. Genesee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jamie Curtis endorsed Flint Mayor Karen Weaver's request for a federal disaster declaration today, Jan. 4. The application was described by officials as a work in progress and includes a request for more than $50 million.
Among the specifics of the request: an estimated $45 million for the replacement of about 15,000 lead water service lines, $6.2 million to expedite upgrades in the city's water system to prepare it for treating and distributing water from the Karegnondi Water Authority and an unspecified amount to lessen the health effects of elevated lead levels in water.
"Its a victory, and it's a step in the right direction," said Weaver, who plans to meet with Snyder to discuss the declaration Thursday, Jan. 7. "I am not going to give up until this is done."
A spokesman for Snyder said in an email statement today that the Michigan State Police's Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division has already begun working with county emergency management officials "to gather information about the resources needed for a governor's declaration."
"The health and welfare of Flint residents is a top priority, and we're committed to working closely with Mayor Weaver and the Genesee County Commission on a coordinated response to health and infrastructure issues," the statement says.
"The state police have been closely engaged in the situation since the beginning, meeting with both county and city leaders to guide them through state and federal laws regarding the emergency management process," the statement from Dave Murray, Snyder's press secretary, says. "Due to the uniqueness of this situation, we have to look at all possible options to help Flint residents."
The statement says prior to a formal declaration, the state is "recognizing this as an emergency and are working with city and county leaders to coordinate efforts, streamline communication and tap all available resources at the state's control."
Weaver declared that Flint had suffered a man-made disaster because of lead in water last month, the first step in requesting state and federal assistance.
The resolution signed by Curtis says, in part, that Flint residents were exposed to toxic levels of lead "due to utilizing the Flint River as a primary source of water without proper corrosion control treatment. We're not going to be ignored," Curtis said after declaring the county is in a state of emergency. "We're going to get the help that these people need."
That effort will be a part of the discussion between Weaver and Snyder on Thursday, a week after the governor said for the first time that he was "very sorry" for Flint's water crisis.
Genesee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jamie Curtis joins with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver to declare state of emergency in Flint because of its water source issues.
The decision to use the Flint River as the city's water source came as the city was being run by four separate emergency managers appointed by Snyder and after the state failed to require the city to treat Flint River water to make it less corrosive. As a result, Weaver and other city officials have said, the corrosive river water damaged Flint's aging water distribution system while it was used from April 2014 until October 2015.
Corrosive water also caused lead to leach from pipes and fixtures, and the number of children with elevated blood lead levels in the city more than doubled while the river was in use, according to a Flint pediatrician's study released in September.
"We have damage to our people and our pipes," said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, whose study of blood lead levels in Flint children showed the spike in lead children affected by elevated blood lead levels. "The damage exceeds the capacity for our city and possibly our state" to contend with ... "This is a catastrophe ... (like) the floods that just happened in Missouri," Hanna-Attisha told the commissioners today. "Our whole community has been traumatized."
Several Flint residents at today's commission meeting thanked county officials for helping Weaver seek state and federal funds.
"I just want to say thank-you for stepping up for us ... the poisoned families that have been struggling with this for so long," said Melissa Mays, a Flint mother who helped start Water You Fighting For, a grass roots group that campaigned to end the city's use of the Flint River.
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/01/governor_must_decide_if_flint.html#incart_river_home
The Genesee County Commissioner taken the RIGHT STEP to declare on a County Level, a State of Emergency in Flint with the City's Toxic Water Crisis. Now, the declaration goes to the Governor -- Rick Snyder -- who allowed five Emergency Managers to put Flint in this situation in the first place, and did nothing.
Snyder claims he's "so sorry" for what was done to Flint. After this declaration, it is time to put up or shut up. Words are empty without the right actions. Likewise, even if Snyder declares Flint City proper under the state of Emergency, it should NOT stop the calls for an immediate Federal Investigation and the Governors resignation as it relates to this Crisis.
To let Rick Snyder slip under the rug for lead poisoning Children, Adults and Elderly of Flint -- would be a tragedy on top of a unjustified crisis.
Our Op/Ed: [bOpen Letter Gov. Rick Snyder: Too Late to Apologize About Flint's Water Crisis]
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