![]() Rather than alleviating a crisis, the switch created a major public health emergency and caused long‐term harm to Flint residents’ health, well‐being, and trust in government.īeyond the emergency manager's failure to take into account the public's health, a major factor explaining why the crisis unfolded as it did is the sheer complexity of the laws regulating how governmental agencies should maintain and monitor safe drinking water. The crisis resulted from a state‐appointed emergency financial manager's decision in April 2014 to switch Flint's water source from the Detroit water system to the Flint River, ostensibly as a cost‐saving measure to address Flint's long‐standing financial crisis. With the addition of four more people charged Tuesday, Schuette said: “We are closer to the end than we are to the beginning.T he flint, michigan, water crisis-a manmade tragedy that exposed thousands of children and adults to excessive lead levels in the city's drinking water-was far from inevitable. Nine officials tied to the Flint water crisis had previously been charged, most of whom were midlevel state employees in Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality. Read more: Michael Moore: Flint Poisoning is a ‘Radical Crime’Ĭity officials eventually declared a state of emergency and switched back to Detroit water, but the city’s supply is still not safe to drink and most residents are forced to use bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing. Lead is particularly dangerous for kids and can cause multiple development disorders. Doctors in Flint later showed high levels of the toxin in blood samples in the city’s children. ![]() It wasn’t until late 2015 when researchers from Virginia Tech confirmed that the city’s water supply showed dangerously elevated levels of lead. Ambrose was named emergency manager in January 2015 and served until April 2015.Įarley’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment the former emergency manager has previously defended himself by saying that he was just following the course set by the mayor, city council and a previous emergency manager. Rick Snyder in September 2013, oversaw the city’s switch to the Flint River. ![]() Earley, who was appointed Flint’s emergency manager by Gov. Some experienced severe rashes and hair loss, even as Flint officials routinely told them it was safe to drink. The city’s residents noticed problems with the water’s color and smell almost immediately. Each faces 40 years in prison.įlint switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014 to save money, but officials did not properly treat the water, which allowed lead from the city’s aging pipes to leach into the water supply. Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson, two former city officials who worked in Flint’s Department of Public Works, were also charged with felonies Tuesday for ignoring warnings that the city’s water treatment plant was not able to produce clean water. Read more: Flint Water Crisis May Cost the City $400 Million in Social Costs In a news conference Tuesday, Schuette said that the charges “reach a higher level of responsibility” than previous ones involving the city’s ongoing water crisis. The former officials, who are also charged with misconduct in office, face maximum sentences of 46 years in prison.
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