A poison is making our kids sick;
corruption is running rampant in Michigan politics. In the City of Flint, people are sick and
tired of being ignored. The community is
strong, but without the proper support of our elected officials we are only as
strong as our weakest link.
The Prodromal Stage – Flint entered the pre-crisis stage as soon as the decision was made by
state emergency managers to switch the city’s water source over to Flint River
water in April 2014 (http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2014/04/hold_switch_to_flint_river_wat.html). It all could have been avoided had city and
state officials relied on scientific evidence and done their due diligence
during this decision making stage. Had
the state officials in charge decided to examine evidence and look at previous
case studies, they would have learned about the water crisis in Washington DC
and realized the effects of poisoned water on a population. They would have seen that there was more risk
than benefit. They did not ask the right
questions and didn’t seem to care.
The Acute Crisis Stage - At this time, many residents began to make claims that
their water was discolored and tasted bad.
Many images of brown water and water with flakes of particles were
popping up all over social media. Several
residents claimed the water was giving them and their children rashes and
making them sick. During this time
period, the City of Flint, the Department of Environmental Quality and the City
of Flint Water administration denied and ignored the claims coming from
residents. Had anyone in power made an
effort to listen, research or even empathize with the taxpaying residents of
the city, the full blown crisis could have been avoided or mitigated to some
extent while it was still in the Prodromal stage. During this point of “pre-crisis” residents
were assured that the water was safe.
Mayor Dayne Walling insisted the water quality was sufficient and was
given information supporting the claim that it passed environmental safety
standards and testing. He drank the
water on live television.
Throughout the summer and into fall,
more and more claims of discoloration, foul smells and heavy sediment in Flint
water rang throughout the city and social media. Children were getting sick and parents were
getting more and more concerned. Their
voices were not being heard. Some people
began seeking outside resources for help.
Water samples were sent to Virginia Tech for testing. Test results came back showing staggeringly
high levels of lead in the water. Many
statements were issued by the City of Flint stating that the water was safe to
drink and that there was no reason for concern.
Around the same time, Dr. Mona Hanna Attisha of Hurley Hospital had a
conversation with her friend who was involved in the water crisis in DC in 2004
(http://www.today.com/health/these-moms-did-everything-right-yet-their-kids-still-got-t68721). She was concerned for the health of the
residents, especially the elderly and children.
Her friend urged her to begin reviewing samples of blood collected at
Hurley hospital. What she found was
disturbing. The blood levels of children
were found to be well over the levels found acceptable by the FDA and the
EPA. The damage was done and the
evidence was mounting against the claims that state and city officials made
regarding the water being safe and clean.
National news anchor, Rachel Maddow broke the story and everyone in the
nation began listening. The decision was
made to switch the water back to Detroit.
The Chronic Stage – The City of Flint has just arrived at the chronic stage of this
crisis. This stage being the
‘post-mortem’ stage, says that the crisis has subsided and clean up and
investigation have begun. At this point,
everyone is listening. The EPA and the
federal government are launching investigations of how the crisis was handled
at the city and state levels. The
Governor of Michigan is being asked to provide information regarding the water
over the period of time that the switch occurred. (http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/10/how_the_flint_water_crisis_eme.html#) In addition to investigations, a
plan is yet to be created to approach the process for targeting infrastructure
that needs to be replaced. The cost of
replacing the infrastructure is something that is a challenge for the state due
to the low funding for this type of situation in the State of Michigan. All infrastructure will need to be identified
and residences will need to be categorized by level of severity of exposure to
lead. The decision will need to be made
as to what order of operations must occur to replace the pipes that are lead
ridden. The roads will need to be dug
up, materials will need to be purchased, hauled in and stored. Contractors will need to be sought out and a
plan of action will need to be created for providing residents with safe and
affordable housing during the construction period.
The Crisis Resolution Stage – While it seems that the Governor of Michigan would prefer
to reach this stage immediately, the actual reality of the time period it will
take to return to normal is grim. As
mentioned, the city has a long road ahead of it and the implications of this
crisis are so far reaching that it is difficult to fathom all of the
aspects. The Flint Water Crisis will
impact the health of generations to come, business profitability; enrollment in
the local universities, home values, and increased waste caused by use of water
bottles, mistrust between the citizens and the government and will even further
propagate the negative perceptions people have about Flint, Michigan
already. What are the outlying effects
of this crisis as well? How severely are
the health of the population and increase in the need for medical attention
going to impact the local economy? I
speculate we could see an increase in post traumatic stress, substance abuse,
mental health difficulties and even further implications of poverty. Will our children grow up to become even
further disadvantaged than they already were?
Will their lives be riddled with illness and uncertainty? Will we ever really reach the crisis
resolution stage here in Flint, Michigan?
Is there such a thing as ‘normal’ anymore? The only real hope here is that we can be an
example for what’s to come and provide some expertise in the matter that is
surely hiding under the surface in many cities across America. You can’t grow a country and never improve
its foundations. Without strong support,
the infrastructure will crumble.
In conclusion, I have learned how
important it is to be able to trust your elected officials. Had some of the people in charge of the City
of Flint tried to listen or had some empathy toward the children of Flint and
the people who drink, bathe and cook with the water, some of this could have
been avoided. Having empathy is somewhat
of a lost trait that needs to be revived.
I feel that if the people making decisions on behalf of the city’s
residents had an appreciation for clean water and didn’t take for granted the
commodities that all of us rely upon, the crisis would have been completely
avoided. Had health of children been put
above allure of a balanced budget, we wouldn’t be trying to dig out of a
monumental disgrace.
I have
learned that communication is critical to the survival of the integrity of this
city, state and nation. Not only giving
information, but receiving it and objectively processing the facts are
important for building trust and strength within our civilization. It is critical that we learn to empathize
with our fellow man and try to understand that everyone has a unique vantage
point worthy or review and discussion.
If we cannot empathize with one another, I would question the true
civility of mankind and have a difficult time trusting that we are capable of
preventing tragedies, but are rather well acquainted with reacting to such
situations.
