He and his 4-year-old brother, Josiah, have learned not to turn on the tap because the water coming out of the faucet is likely poisonous.
This is the way they’ve been living for the past three years, ever since their parents learned that the water in their hometown of Flint, Michigan water wasn’t safe.
“I’m definitely not going to take the chance on my children’s health and safety.” It was early in 2014 when Flint leaders, under emergency management due to bankruptcy, announced that to save money they were going to switch the source of water from Lake Huron, something they’d been getting through Detroit for the last 40 years, to a local source, the Flint River.
Days after the switch to the river was made, Bell McDonald could tell something wasn’t right.
Gen. Michael McDaniel, who was enlisted to manage Flint’s pipe replacement project.
He said the water treatment plant had been there for 50 years.
Now, 15 state and city leaders are facing criminal charges in connection to decisions made that led to the water crisis.
Class-action lawsuits have also been filed on behalf of residents who suffered from the water crisis.
Flint is no longer getting its water from the river.
Millions in federal and state dollars have been allocated for the crisis but after three years, Oliver said, “the one thing we don’t have a lot of is time.” “I don’t think anyone who’s living through this crisis is comfortable with the speed at which we’re moving from crisis to recovery,” he said.