US President Barack Obama has visited Flint, Michigan, after receiving a letter from an eight-year-old resident who was concerned about the city’s
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US President Barack Obama has visited Flint, Michigan, after receiving a letter from an eight-year-old resident who was concerned about the city’s drinking water supply.
A state of emergency was declared in January, 2016, following a change in water provider back in 2014, which showed up to a hundred thousand people had been exposed to high levels of lead.
"This was a manmade disaster.
This was avoidable.
This was preventable."@POTUS to the #Flint community: https://t.co/OcDywofkm0— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 4, 2016
Obama announced the state of emergency in the city and ordered federal aid to assist with the crisis.
In Flint, the president appeared to take a sip of filtered water, before saying:
“It just confirms what we know scientifically which is that, if you’re using a filter, if you’re installing it, then Flint water at this point is drinkable.”
Obama drinks filtered city water in Flint to show it’s safe https://t.co/stBPjn2luXhttps://t.co/vwxWVqRl5L
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) May 4, 2016
Two state employees in the environmental department have been charged with misleading the government about the situation, while a Flint employee is accused of modifying water test results.
State governor Rick Snyder has been criticised for his handling of the situation.
"Flint's recovery is everybody's responsibility. And I'm going to make sure that responsibility is met." —@POTUS https://t.co/AkHsQuT3pU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 4, 2016