President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan because of water contamination in the city of Flint. This allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency assistance to the area for 90 days.
A White House press release said the administration authorized "water, water filters, water filter cartridges, water test kits and other necessary related items" be provided to residents. Emergency aid of this sort is typically capped at $5 million.
This comes just two days after Michigan governor Rick Snyder requested help dealing with the fallout of a water crisis that seems to keep getting worse.
It started almost two years ago when Flint switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in an effort to save money. Almost immediately, residents began to point out strange taste, smell and color of the water.
Both city and state officials were insistent the water was safe. The city's former mayor even drank some water from the tap to make the point.
But officials failed to account for the Flint River's saltiness; the water is 19 times more corrosive than Lake Huron. The city has already switched back to Lake Huron water, but the Flint River water had already corroded the lead-lined pipes, causing lead to contaminate the water.
Doctors caution high levels of lead can impact development in kids, even leading to decreased IQs.
"Lead is something that needs to be prevented and never ever reach the body of a child because when it does it is irreversible and there is no treatment," Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha told WXYZ.
As the investigation into who knew what and when they knew it intensifies, many people are calling for the resignation of Gov. Snyder. He's apologized for what happened but that hasn't stopped protests.
The current mayor of Flint has said cleaning up the mess and providing health treatment to those affected could cost up to $1.5 billion.
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