Following an initial $5 million allocation to battle Flint’s corroded water system, President Obama on Thursday announced his administration would give the city $80 million in federal funding to assist in the water crisis poisoning thousands — a growing scandal that has sparked resignation requests from citizens for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.
Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint last month, although the contamination began in 2014. In a cost-cutting effort, the city switched its water supply source from Lake Huron (treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department) to Flint River water, a contaminated source that caused lead to seep into the pipes. By the time the source was switched back, the pipes were already corroded.
In an interview with CBS News Wednesday, Snyder apologetically reiterated that the water in Flint was not safe for the city’s 100,000 residents.
Watch Roland Martin and Amy Pruden, PhD., Principal Investigator for the Flint Water Study discuss the Flint water crisis, warnings issued to government officials prior to the man-made disaster being exposed in the video clip below.
article originally posted on theurbandaily.com
