Flint Water Crisis Explained
In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan switched water sources. Until then, Flint’s water came from Detroit’s Water Department, which supplied treated water from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the locals of Flint. Following the switch, Flint’s drinking water became highly contaminated with lead, due to the state of the old pipes in the local water system.
This contamination has caused serious health issues across the grid, with children and the elderly being the most afflicted populations. Some speculate that the water change had also caused the recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which has claimed the lives of 10 people in the area, and affected almost 80 more.
Flint is a city in Genesee County, and it is where most of the County’s population is located.
Since the beginning of January 2016, Genesee County has been in a state of emergency. In the middle of January, the Michigan State Police, National Guard, and American Red Cross began delivering cases of water, filters, lead-testing kits, and replacement cartridges to needful citizens in and around Flint.
The Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal teams are working hard to get to the bottom of the issue and rectify it, but in the meantime, the f
Tap water in flint is contaminated with lead.
inancial aid which Genesee County is receiving is insufficient. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s request for “Major Disaster” status was turned down by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and only emergency protective measures are being partially funded by the government.
In the summer of 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the Right to Water and Sanitation to be a basic human right. Clean water is a bare necessity, and it is important that each and every one of us have access to it.
Genesee County Needs Water
There are plans for a new Flint pipeline. This pipeline – from Lake Huron to Flint – is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2016. However, for the time being, solutions must be provided for over 400,000+ people who are living in Genesee County.
Truthfully, the future isn’t looking too bright for the people of Genesee. Even after the smoke clears, and the crisis is declared officially over by the authorities, thousands of locals will find themselves without adequate plumbing. Many homes’ service pipes have been rendered unusable by the toxic amounts of lead which have been running through them. Replacing the plumbing of an average house is a lengthy, complicated, and very costly process. Such a procedure can cost $8,000 – $10,000, and there are many Genesee households which cannot afford such an expense.
Various charities and civic groups of every kind have been lending a helping hand to the citizens of Genesee. Right now, the people of Flint and the surrounding areas don’t need your sympathy. More than anything, they need water and money. This situation is not one which can be handled with a quick fix, and it will be many months – maybe years – before things are back to normal.
Looking for ways to help? There are several organizations which are currently accepting monetary donations, volunteers, and bottled water:
- The community-based Flint Water Response Team is accepting donations and volunteers.
- The Flint Water Fund is purchasing water filters and bottled water for its citizens.
- The Flint Child Health & Development Fund is helping to provide medical aid to children who have been exposed to lead in the drinking water.
- Catholic Charities of Genesee County are accepting water filters, bottled water, and monetary donations.
- The American Red Cross has volunteers at a number of locations, handing out water testing kits, filters, and bottled water to those in need.
Which of these organizations would you want the money to go to? Is there a different organization which you would want to help out?
Help Flint With Maple Holistics!
For every purchase made on the Maple Holistics website using either of the following two coupon codes, one dollar will be donated to an organization currently operating in Flint:
- Receive 20% of all products on our website when you use coupon code FLINT20, to thank our customers for supporting this worthy cause
