The water crisis in Flint, Mich, continues to develop, as Michigan governor Rick Snyder on Friday asked President Barack Obama for a federal declaration and help. Snyder also indicated that he would like the administrative authority of the mayor of Flint to be restored, and Michigan's Attorney General has launched a new probe into the situation.
Snyder formally requested President Barack Obama to declare the Flint situation as a federal disaster. His request also included a formal request for financial and other assistance from the federal government. The value of the request is more than $31 million. The money has been requested to procure water-testing equipment, water filters, filter cartridges and clean drinking water. Snyder also wants - for anyone that wishes for the lead level in his or her body to be checked - for such checks to be done fast and with ease. Snyder's letter also says that Michigan State's financial resources are inadequate to address the needs of Flint at this time. A White House spokesperson said that the request would be considered "expeditiously," according to Lake Placid News.
Karen Weaver has been the mayor of Flint since her election in November. For the past two years, the city of Flint has been administered by an official administrator representing the state of Michigan. The administrator's actions, in turn, are monitored by an advisory board. This is because the administration was taken over by the state of Michigan, as the city of Flint was previously mismanaged financially and was therefore in a state of financial emergency. Snyder has now written to the advisory board that he wishes the authority of the administration of the city to be restored and transferred back to the elected mayor of the city, the Associated Press reported.
Bill Schuette, Michigan's Attorney General, will be probing whether the sequence of events that led to the water crisis specifically involved any infringements of Michigan laws. This is in addition to the probe that federal prosecutors, working with the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, have already started into the causes of the crisis, according to The Daily Croton.
