Obama declares state of emergency in Flint water crisis Paul Egan, Detroit Free
Press LANSING, Mich. ' President Obama on Saturday declared a federal emergency
in Flint, meaning federal financial aid will be available to assist with the
drinking water crisis. But a request from Gov. Rick Snyder to declare Flint
and Genesee County a disaster area was denied, a spokesman for Snyder said. The
president's actions authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to
coordinate responses and provide 75% federal funding. The president also
offered assistance in finding other available federal assistance, the news
release
said. The order authorizes FEMA to provide water, filters, filter cartridges
and other needed items, FEMA spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said on Twitter. "I
appreciate the president approving my federal emergency request and supporting
Flint during this critical situation," Snyder said in a news release. "I
have pledged to use all state resources possible to help heal Flint, and these
additional resources will greatly assist its efforts under way to ensure
every resident has access to clean water resources. Snyder on Thursday night
asked Obama for federal financial aid in the public health crisis through
declarations of both a federal emergency and a federal disaster. No disaster
declaration was part of Saturday's announcement from the White House. Rep.
Dale Kildee, D-Mich., whose district includes Flint,'welcomed the emergency
declaration and issued a statement: 'I welcome the president's quick action
in support of the people of Flint after months of inaction by the governor. The
residents and children of Flint deserve every resource available to make
sure that they have safe water and are able to recover from this terrible
man-made disaster created by the state. On Friday, Kildee'led a bipartisan
effort
in support of the request'for federal assistance. Kildee had long called for
'Snyder to request federal aid. Typically, federal aid for an emergency is
capped at $5 million, though the president can commit more if he reports it to
Congress. Under a federal disaster declaration, normally reserved exclusively
for natural disasters rather than man-made ones such as the one in Flint, much
larger sums are available. Snyder's application said as much as $55 million
is needed in the near term to repair damaged lead service lines and as much as
$41 million to pay for several months of water distribution and providing
residents with testing, water filters and cartridges. In what's become a huge
government scandal, Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead
after the city temporarily switched its supply source from Lake Huron water
treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to more corrosive and
polluted Flint River water, treated at the Flint water treatment plant. The
switch was made as a cost-cutting move while the city was under the control
of a state-appointed emergency manager. The state Department of Environmental
Quality has acknowledged a mistake in failing to require the addition of
needed corrosion control chemicals to the water. That caused lead, which can
cause brain damage and other health problems in children, to leach into the
water from pipes and fixtures. Residents' complaints about the taste, odor and
appearance of the water, which began immediately after the switch, were
largely ignored by state officials. The state also dismissed reports of
elevated lead levels in the blood of Flint children from pediatrician Mona
Hanna-Attisha
before for the first time publicly acknowledging a problem around the beginning
of October in 2015. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said in a news
release she appreciates "the president's quick action in responding to the
urgent needs of families in Flint. "I will continue to push for federal
resources
to address this crisis, and for a commitment of resources from the state to
meet the immediate needs of the community and to set aside a Future Fund to
address the long-term needs of children and families," Stabenow said.
