Powerful and very tragic story unfolding in Flint, Michigan—months in the making. Children are getting exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water. Quote from within:
“It took two months for [Gov. Snyder] to apologize, for him to declare a state of emergency, for him to offer bottled water,” Rochelle Riley, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, told NPR. “You’ve got residents who have been complaining about this water after it started to flow out of their taps slightly brown and tasting funny, and nobody cared.”
The crisis in Flint is exacerbated by its economic situation—40 percent of residents live below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census—and has hit many of the city’s poorest residents hardest. Meanwhile, residents struggling to make ends meet continue to be billed for contaminated, undrinkable water, according to the Free Press.
Yesterday, Michigan's Governor Snyder asked President Obama for an emergency declaration in order to address this water crisis. This is good and I hope that the President extends all the support these residents need. And this atop other news out of Porter Ranch in northern Los Angeles where residents have experienced—many falling ill—to an unprecedented gas leak:
Environmental activists such as Erin Brockovich have called it the worst leak in the United States since the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Thousands of residents are getting re-located right now
How shameful and telling that a whole presidential debate took place yesterday evening with no mention of either of these ecological and humanitarian crises taking place right now before us in Flint, Michigan and Porter Ranch, California.
Angela Valenzuela
Michigan Under Investigation for Foul Play in Flint Water Crisis
Michigan Under Investigation for Foul Play in Flint Water Crisis
The fallout from the
contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has a hefty new price tag:
$41 million. On Thursday night, Gov. Rick Snyder called on the federal
government to assist with the cost of emergency services associated with
the lead contamination, The Washington Post reported.
Then, on Friday, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced he
had opened an investigation to find out if the state violated any laws
leading up to the contamination’s discovery.
“In 21st-century America, no one should have to fear something as basic as turning on the kitchen faucet,” Schuette said in a statement. “The situation in Flint is a human tragedy in which families are struggling with the most basic parts of daily life.”
Two
years ago, the state decided to switch Flint’s main water supply from
Lake Huron in Detroit to the Flint River in an effort to save money. The
state had assumed responsibility of the city’s budget during a
financial crisis. Researchers soon discovered that the water from the
Flint River was 19 times more corrosive
than that from Lake Huron. The corrosive quality eroded iron water
mains, turning the water brown, and funneled lead into the water supply
from the many lead service lines in the city.
Residents filed a federal class action lawsuit against the city and state in November, accusing the state of placing cost savings over the health of its citizens.
Schuette’s
investigation follows a probe started by the U.S. Attorney’s Office
earlier this month as Snyder declared a state of emergency. On Thursday,
more than 150 Flint residents flooded the lobby of the building where
Snyder’s office is housed, demanding his resignation and arrest for what they say is his mishandling of the lead contamination.
“It
took two months for [Snyder] to apologize, for him to declare a state
of emergency, for him to offer bottled water,” Rochelle Riley, a
columnist for the Detroit Free Press, told
NPR. “You’ve got residents who have been complaining about this water
after it started to flow out of their taps slightly brown and tasting
funny, and nobody cared.”
The
crisis in Flint is exacerbated by its economic situation—40 percent of
residents live below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census—and
has hit many of the city’s poorest residents hardest. Meanwhile,
residents struggling to make ends meet continue to be billed for contaminated, undrinkable water, according to the Free Press.
Good site.
ReplyDeleteÁngela, I have something else to share.... I asked a P.E. teacher at Spring Creek Elementary in College Station to stop using Sharpies to mark my daughter's forearm for every lap during practice. Her answer was as follows: ................................................................................................................... Mr Olague,
ReplyDeleteI have been doing this a long time, and this is the best method I have come up with. Bibi doesn't have to have dots if you don;'t want her to.
Thanks! M. Leland... .......................................................................................................................But, but, what about the other children??? Take a look at the chemicals in Sharpies! Permachrome, a pigment used in ink for ink-jet printers, and xylene and toluene as binding agents to give the ink longevity. Xylene is a clear solvent used in paints and varnishes, and toluene is typically found in crude oil and gasoline.
Are we, as educators, not responsible to find better methods?