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U.S. NEWSMonday 18 January 2016
American Living:
In Flint, Michigan, daily life revolves around lead fears
ROGER SCHNEIDER troit, had become a symbol “It was frustrating that it be replaced, at costs esti- tled water per household
Associated Press of the decline of the U.S. went on for so long,” Han- mated as high as $1.5 bil- and a water filter. But even
FLINT, Michigan (AP) — The auto industry, having suf- na-Attisha said, complain- lion. that effort fell short.
longest line at Freeman El- fered waves of auto plant ing that even since the On Monday, Snyder apolo- The following Monday, a
ementary School’s Family layoffs and the loss of half state began taking ac- gized to Flint and pledged pile of empty filter boxes
Fun Night was not for face its population. Forty-one tion, “everything has been that officials would contact was stacked against the
painting or food. It was for percent of the population slow.” every household to ensure wall at one station. One
lead testing. falls below the poverty line. Michigan Gov. Rick Sny- families have bottled water woman came back three
For three months, families in These days, it’s a place der finally acknowledged and a filter and to check times in the hope of getting
the former auto manufac- whether they want to be one. Hours later, even the
turing hub of Flint have tak- Maurice Rice organizes cases of water at the Joy Tabernacle tested for lead exposure. water was gone after vol-
en their children for blood Church in Flint, Mich. He also promised to seek a unteers had given out al-
tests and lived on bottled long-term solution. most 900 cases. And the fire
water after doctors found (Conor Ralph/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) “This is a crisis,” the governor station had not received
high levels of lead in the said. “So we’re responding any of the lead test kits that
bodies of the community’s where parents fear for the in late September that the appropriately. There’s more had been promised.
youngest people. health of young children, water was unsafe, say- work to be done.” Volunteers also began go-
“It really is a scary situation who can develop learning ing the consequences of Snyder’s many critics got ing door-to-door to distrib-
to know that we can’t get disabilities and behavior switching to Flint River wa- louder at midweek, when ute water. Snyder called on
clean drinking water,” said problems from lead expo- ter were not “fully under- the governor announced the National Guard to help.
Sherri Miller, who brought sure. stood.” The decision to use that two spikes in Legion- For angry residents, it’s still
her first-grade son, Jameer, “It has such damning, life- the river was made while naires’ disease had oc- not enough.
to have a finger-prick long and generational a Snyder-appointed emer- curred in the county that in- “The state was telling ev-
blood sample tested. “It re- consequences,” said Dr. gency manager was run- cludes Flint during the time erybody, ‘It’s fine, relax. ...
ally is scary to think some- Mona Hanna-Attisha, di- ning city government. Flint River water was used. It’s safe,’” even as people
one knew about this” and rector of pediatric resi- The city, which had been Ten people died. Michigan complained that the water
did nothing. dency at Hurley Children’s under state supervision health officials said they looked cloudy and tasted
Nearly two years have Hospital, where more than since 2011 due to its finan- cannot conclude that the bad, said community ac-
passed since safe drinking 2,000 children have been cial problems, returned to outbreak stemmed from tivist Melissa Mays. “They
water flowed from Flint fau- tested. She is credited with local control last April. Flint’s water, but others ar- lied.”
cets. The financially trou- bringing the problem to Flint went back to Detroit gued it probably had. Mays, her husband and
bled city began drawing the public’s attention after water in October, but some Late Thursday, Snyder three sons ages 11, 12 and
its water from the Flint River state agencies initially dis- fear the old pipes were so asked President Barack 17 are taking medication
in 2014 to save money. Of- missed her concerns. damaged that they must Obama to issue a federal to reduce high lead and
ficials failed to treat the disaster declaration in an other heavy metal levels in
corrosive water properly effort to get federal aid, their blood.
to prevent metal leach- a move critics countered “Like everybody else, we
ing from old pipes. Worse, should have been tak- drank and cooked with it
residents didn’t learn they en sooner. The president because they told us it was
were drinking tainted water signed an emergency dec- safe,” she said.
until the state issued warn- laration on Saturday and Rabecka Cordell said she
ings a year and a half after ordered federal aid for the learned from her doc-
the switch was made. city. tor that both she and her
For the city’s 100,000 resi- After Snyder declared a 5-year-old son, Dayne,
dents, daily life is now all state of emergency Jan. have lead poisoning. She
about lead. 5, residents could go to fire said she also has leukemia,
Before the crisis, Flint, about stations to pick up a daily and her son has learning
an hour’s drive north of De- ration of one case of bot- and speech disabilities.q
