What
is happening in Flint, Michigan? Well, the answer is simple and has to do with
water contamination. According to Logan Anderson, a writer for a Hilary Clinton
news website, he stated, “for the last two years, the city of 99,000 has repeatedly
experienced water crises and recently, residents discovered that their water
contains unsafe amounts of lead—900 times the EPA maximum.” The outbreak of
lead poisoning in the city had led to many children and adults being greatly affected.
(Anderson, 2016)
But
how did this happen? The Flint River is not the cleanest river out there, but
is quite filthy. Many residents receive their water from the river, since 2014,
which was a color of orange, brownish, and consisted of an unpleasant smell and
taste when being drunk. Even with the increase of concern from the residents,
many local officials decided to continue to use the river as a water source.
The pipes that connected to many homes were made out of lead, which made matters
worse. Even though the source of water has changed since then, the damage is
done and many people sick. Boiling water did not help either. (Barnes, 2016)
To
make matters even worse, not only are the Flint residents are at risk, but also
other civilians. The Apalachicola River, which is over one hundred feet long in
Florida, is union together with both the Flint and Chattahoochee (in the south)
rivers and goes to the Gulf of Mexico. This puts Floridians at risk for water contamination,
as well as, Alabama and Georgia because of the emergence of both rivers being
joined together and Flint River being affected.
I
believe that the Flint water crisis is something that should be taken very
seriously. Even though the city has had water crisis break out in the past,
with the advancement of technology, there should not be a continuous cycle of
water contaminating in the city. This event reminds me of the early 1800’s cholera
epidemic that swipe the continent of Europe. However, many efforts has been put
in effect to decrease the risk and spread of water contamination in Flint,
Michigan, as well as, provide clean water and medical care for Flint residents
and the individuals affected by the water crisis. Many people, including famous
celebrities, from other cities and states have donated hundreds and thousands
of bottle water from their local state/city to give to the Flint residents.
Many of the residents also began helping one another through this crisis. Some
have donated bottles of water from other cities to their neighbors, other have stepped
up to become one of a team of specialists to help with water testing. According
to the ClickonDetroit news, Orchards Children’s Services and Flint YMCA’s Safe
Places Program has hired and trained fifty Flint residents this month (February)
to assist with water testing across the city. With the hiring of new people,
there would be a greater chance of accurate research that could decrease and
stop the risk of water contamination in the city of Flint, Michigan and keep everyone
safe from any water crises. (ClickonDetroit, 2016)
Anderson, L. (2016, January
16). “What’s happening with the water in Flint, Michigan, is an outrage.” Hilary Clinton. https://www.hillaryclinton.com/feed/whats-happening-water-flint-michigan-outrage/
Barnes, B. (2016,
February 12). “Flint Water Crisis: How Did This Happen?” The Stroud Courier: The East Stroudsburg University Student Newspaper. http://thestroudcourier.com/2016/02/12/flint-water-crisis/
Local 4 - ClickOnDetroit
news staff. (2016, February 08). “Flint residents will be hired to help with
water testing.” ClickOnDetroit. http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/flint-water-crisis/flint-residents-will-be-hired-to-help-with-water-testing
