Flint Mayor Expected To Meet With Obama To Discuss Water Crisis
WASHINGTON (WWJ/AP) - A White House spokesman says he anticipates that President Barack Obama will meet with the Flint's mayor during her visit to Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
Mayor Karen Weaver plans to ask the president to reconsider his decision not to declare Flint a disaster area.
"This is a predominately African-American community, and it's also a class issue," Weaver said. "We have, you know, thousands of people who need care. People are angry, people are scared, they're confused, and they need some help."
Weaver visited with the president's senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, earlier in the day.
The White House, meantime, is appointing a Health and Human Services Department official to lead federal efforts to help the city deal with its water crisis.
Spokesman Josh Earnest said state and local officials are responsible for managing the response. He says an assistant secretary at the department, Nicole Lurie, will coordinate federal help.
The crisis began in 2014 when a state-appointed emergency manager switched Flint from Detroit water to Flint River water to save money.
Flint returned to the Detroit system after elevated lead levels were discovered in children's blood tests.
A large chunk of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's State of the State address is expected to focus on the situation, which has put Flint residents at risk and engulfed his administration with criticism.
Michigan is already providing lead testing, filters, bottled water and other essentials in the city of 99,000. Some say customers shouldn't have to pay their water bills because the water is unsafe without filtering, but it's unclear if lawmakers will cover the expense.
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