Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will appeal the Obama administration’s decision to not declare a disaster zone in Flint, according to The Detroit News. Flint is still reeling from a lead poisoning crisis after a switch to the Flint River for drinking water resulted in contaminated water across the city. And the city will continue to reel, since lead poisoning is permanent.
Last week, the administration responded to Snyder’s request for a federal emergency and also a disaster zone declaration by granting the former but not the latter, a decision that will block Michigan’s access to some funds. The Detroit News reports:
Gov. Rick Snyder intends to appeal the Obama administration’s denial of a major disaster declaration in Flint that blocked the governor’s request for $96 million in federal aid for bottled water, faucet filters and replacing lead-leaching pipes.
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President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in Flint on Saturday, but denied Snyder’s request to designate Flint a disaster zone because the city’s water contamination was a man-made calamity.
“We’re planning to appeal,” Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said Sunday. “We want to exhaust every opportunity to bring potential resources to Flint.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate, in a letter to Snyder, said his request for a major disaster declaration was denied because the water contamination “does not meet the legal definition of a ‘major disaster’” under federal law.
“The incident was not the result of a natural catastrophe, nor was it created by a fire, flood or explosion,” Fugate said.
The distinction here between man-made and natural disaster, especially regarding how much money is allocated, is definitely nonsensical. But as it stands, the administration believes there is no legal basis for declaring a disaster zone. The crisis in Flint should prompt a broad re-examination of our federal response policies and the purpose of FEMA and disaster declarations in the first place, especially as more man-made and man-mediated disasters will undoubtedly happen to low-income communities like Flint.
However, the irony of Gov. Snyder essentially asking for a blank check to fix a problem caused by his administration—and government’s colossal disregard for human lives and penny-pinching tendencies—is not to be missed. Again, with any amount of money, why would people trust Snyder and his committees to fix anything after all that has happened?