While the process has begun, the state needs to determine the full extent of the needs in Flint before a request for federal aid is made and that could take a period of time that he did not specify, said Dave Murray, press secretary for the governor. Lead can cause irreversible brain and developmental damage in children and infants who ingest it through water or lead-based paint.
As previously covered by Medical Daily, Flint was forced to switch where it obtained its water in 2014, from Lake Huron to the nearby Flint River, as part of a cost-cutting maneuver undertaken by a state-approved emergency manager, following continuing financial debt owned by the town. "We don't want people to assume anything's good until we have a chance to do extensive testing and confirm that publicly". FEMA spokesperson Rafael Lemaitre writes on Twitter that the agency is in MI to provide situational awareness and support to the state.
We need to focus on improving Flint for the longer term", Snyder said. In the past 16 months, abnormally high levels of e. coli, an unsafe bacteria; trihamlomethanes, which make hot showers potentially toxic; lead, which causes long-term neurological problems; and copper have been found in the city's water. A recent preliminary report from a task force appointed by Snyder placed most of the blame on the state Department of Environmental Quality, which has acknowledged a mistake in not requiring Flint to add corrosion control chemicals to the water, and prompted the December 29 resignation of DEQ Director Dan Wyant.
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