More than likely, you have heard of the city of Flint, Michigan. A city that was once well-known for its lumber and was a leader in motor vehicle manufacturing. It is the home of the Flint Sit-Down Strike which helped pave the way for unions and better treatments for auto workers.
Now when you hear of Flint, you probably don’t think of these.
When you hear of flint, you probably think of the Water Crisis that gained media attention late 2015. The story was in mass news for a few months, but that doesn’t mean that the issue is gone.
Since then, there has been over 12,000 accounted cases of children exposed to lead( which is poisonous when exposed to in large amounts), 15 related deaths, a public health state of emergency, 4 resignations, 4 firings, 5 suspensions, and 15 criminal indictments related to the water contamination. Residents of Flint still are suffering from not having clean, accessible water in their homes and businesses.
What caused the contamination?
In April 2014, Flint officials changed the water source of the city from being sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River, to the Flint River. This was done to cut costs because of the financial state of emergency that the city was under. It was done with good intentions, but officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors which lead to a series of problems including lead contamination in the water. The Flint River water that was improperly treated cause lead from old pipes to leach into the water supply, contaminating it with lead. Residents complained for months about the taste, color, and quality of the water, but were told and given the okay for almost a year that it was safe to drink.
Who is responsible for the crisis?
Four government officials-one from Flint, two from the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality(MDEQ) and one from the EPA- have resigned over the mishandling of the crisis. Most experts agree that it was the MDEQ’s responsibility for the water crisis. The lacked the decency to think past saving a few dollars, and to consider the public and environmental health. The Governor Rick Snyder issued apologies and immediately began to send out proposals to fix the issues, and on January 6,2018, Snyder signed a bill that accelerates the public notice requirement for lead in drinking water to three business days, from the previous time of 30 days.
Flint’s Current Status
Since 2014, millions of dollars have been put into Flint to restore clean water. Whether it was replacing pipes, providing bottled water, or improving the overall water infrastructure the Federal and States governments were seemingly doing all the could to correct the mistakes and provided for the citizens of flint. On April 6, 2018, Governor Snyder announced the end of a free bottled water program in Flint, claiming the water quality has been restored.
CNN reports that Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician who was among the first who noticed rising levels of blood lead levels in Flint’s children, provoking the governor to acknowledge the crisis, was disappointed with the recent decision. She tweeted “This is wrong. Until all lead pipes are replaced, state should make available bottled water and filters to Flint residents,”.
What can you do to help?
One way to help the citizens of Flint Michigan is by supporting Mari, also known as Little Miss Flint. She started a campaign to help raise awareness and money for other Flint kids like herself. On the campaign site she says, “Recently I was able to partner with Pack Your Back to help provide over 1,000 backpacks to Flint area kids and inspire kids in other cities to do a backpack drive too! [] There are so many ways thing I want to do to help Flint Kids to continue to succeed and to thrive regardless of a messed up situation with our water.
Check out her campaign here!
On the City of Flint website they have several links and places that the use to provide goods for their people. Separated into 3 categories: Donate water, Make a monetary donation, or Volunteer your time. Whatever path calls you, the people of Flint will surely accept you kindness with open arms.