State of Emergency: What to Know About Flint’s Water Crisis
Hillary Clinton vows to help residents.
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Water Crisis - Residents of Flint, Michigan, have been living a nightmare since April 2014. The tap water in the town is unsafe to drink and bathe in due to its high levels of lead content. The National Guard has been passing out bottled water to those affected by the brown-tinted liquid. But local and state-level authorities are aware that damage has already been done — including an alarming rise in illnesses among the town's children. BET.com runs down the facts surrounding Flint’s water crisis.(Photo: Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
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Hillary Clinton Vows to Help Flint Residents - While on her New Hampshire campaign trial, Hillary Clinton visited Flint, Michigan, and vowed to help the residents harmed by the poisonous water system there. "This is not merely unacceptable or wrong, though it is both, what happened in Flint is immoral," Clinton said, according to the Associated Press. She called on Congress to go through with passing a $200 million fund to fix the crumbling situation.(Photo: AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
3 / 20
FBI Joins Investigation of Flint - The FBI has joined the investigation of Flint's drinking water crisis, the Detroit Free Press reports. Attorneys William Murphy Jr. and Val Washington also filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of 31,000 households in Flint, Michigan. “We filed in federal court,” said Attorney Murphy, “because the Governor and other state and local officials must be held accountable for their wrongdoing," in a statement.(Photo: Jake May/The Flint Journal - MLive.com via AP Photo)
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300 Pumblers Help Install Faucets in Flint - More and more are joining in to provide help to those suffering from the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. 300 plumbers came together this past weekend to install faucets and water filters into the homes of 800 people who have not had access to clean water for more than a year. The water filters will help eliminate lead content from the faucet if there is less than 150 parts per billion in the water, according to U.S. Uncut.(Photo: Tanya Moutzalias/The Ann Arbor News-MLive.com Detroit via AP Photo)
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Anonymous Hackers Want Gov. Snyder to Be Charged - Anonymous, a hacker activist group, believes Michigan Gov. Snyder should be charged with "voluntary or involuntary manslaughter" in Flint's current water crisis. "The crimes committed by Gov. Snyder as well as other city officials will not go unpunished. The city of Flint deserved to be informed and made aware of the problem with the town drinking water," Anonymous said in a video statement.(Photo: Adam Berry/Getty Images)
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6 / 20
EPA Continues Lead Sampling in Flint - After months of neglect from government officials in Flint, Michigan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the commencement of an emergency order on Thursday. This order will allow the EPA to resume lead sampling in Flint. Administrator Gina McCarthy wrote in a letter to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, “there continues to be inadequate transparency and accountability with regard to…test results and actions taken…critical for the people of Flint," according to the Detroit Free Press. (Photo: MCT via Getty Images)
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Apparently You Need ID to Get Water - An estimated 1,000 undocumented immigrants living in Flint, Mich. are not receiving water during this emergency because they’re scared. Many of the undocumented immigrants had no knowledge of the Flint water crisis until a couple of weeks ago because many are just learning English, according to ABC12.com.Deacon Paul Donnelly, of St. Mary’s church, has been on a mission to assist undocumented immigrants during the four months he’s been in Flint. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Big Sean Donates to Flint - On Thursday, Detroit native Big Sean collaborated with his Sean Anderson Foundation to launch #HelpHealFlintKids, “a fundraising plan benefiting children affected by the city’s lead contaminated tap water. Big Sean has started a Crowd Rise campaign to gather donations for #HelpHealFlintKids, starting with a $10,000 from himself.(Photo: Mike Windle/Getty Images for A+E Networks)
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Meek Mill Answers Call to Give Back - Meek Mill has given 60,000 bottles of cased water to Flint Child and Family Health Development Fund, according to TMZ. Earlier this week the Philadelphia rapper donated $50,000 to a local charity. (Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015)
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Gov. Snyder Releases His Emails - Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder released his emails from 2014 and 2015 this past Wednesday, with hopes of relieving scrutiny he is facing regarding the Flint water crisis. Snyder’s then chief-of-staff Dennis Muchmore said in one message, according to The Detroit Free Press, “The real responsibility rests with the county, city and KWA (Karegnondi Water Authority), but since the issue here is health of citizens and their children we’re taking a proactive approach putting DHHS (Dept. of Health and Human Services) out there as an educator.”(Ryan Garza//Detroit Free Press via AP)
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11 / 20
Obama Meets With Flint's Mayor - The president has met with the mayor of Flint, according to the White House press secretary. During the meeting he was made more aware of "the ongoing public health crisis, and the challenges that still exist for the city, its residents, and the business community," a statement reads. (Photo: Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images)
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Gov. Snyder Apologizes - Gov. Rick Snyder issued an apology Tuesday for the water crisis. "You deserve better. You deserve accountability. You deserve to know that the buck stops here with me. Most of all, you deserve to know the truth," said the official.(Photo: Al Goldis/ AP Photo)
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How Did This Happen? - In April 2014, the city of Flint made the decision to source their tap water supply from Lake Huron, NBC News reports. Since a pipeline had not been built between Huron and Flint, the Flint River was used as a source to save money. However, after the switch, Flint residents began to complain about the murky water coming out of their faucets. It tasted and smelled different, they said. Since October, Flint has switched back to sourcing the Detroit water system, but the pipes may still be leaking lead.(Photo: Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
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The Children - Since the switch, there have been more cases of local children showing high levels of lead in their blood. Health issues caused by lead exposure cannot be cured and lead to learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Adults may face kidney diseases.(Photo: AP Photo/Roger Schneider)
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The People of Flint - Flint, Michigan, has a population of 99,002, according to latest Census Data. Blacks make up 56.6 percent of the population. Whites make up 37.4 percent. Hispanics and Latinos are 3.9 percent. Additionally 41 percent of the population is living below the poverty line. (Photo: Ryan Garza//Detroit Free Press via AP)
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Protests - This past weekend, residents were protesting Michigan Governor Snyder’s leadership and demanded immediate help, stating that he should be jailed and removed from his post if he does not leave voluntarily.(Photo: Junfu Han/The Ann Arbor News via AP)
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Obama Declares State of Emergency - On Saturday, President Obama declared a State of Emergency for Flint, Michigan, and authorized FEMA to begin giving water, filters and other relief to the residents for three months. The Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency is investigating if there was any criminal wrongdoing.(Photo: Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images)
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Hillary Clinton Weighs In - Clinton said during the Democratic debate Sunday that “every single American should be outraged” and that this is a class and race issue. "If the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action," said Clinton.(Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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Snyder Wants to Focus on Solutions - "We're going to keep working on putting solutions in place," Governor Snyder said, according to The Detroit News. "And what I would say is: Politicizing the issue doesn't help matters. Let's focus on the solution and how to deal with the damage that was done and help the citizens of Flint and make Flint a stronger community."(Photo: Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)