As a result of one of the country’s worst public health disasters, the state of Michigan will pay $600 million to residents of Flint who have been continuously exposed to contaminated waters. According to the settlement, which was reached last week, 80% of the reward funds will go to residents who were younger than 18-years-old at the time of their exposure—this includes a majority who were younger than 6-years-old. The remaining 20% will go to those who had lawsuits for other issues, including property damage. When divided, the $600 million settlement gives eligible residents approximately $6,000 per person.
Residents expressed that no amount of money could heal the impact the city’s health crisis had on individuals—and for the number of years the crisis went on, $6,000 is nothing. For years, the people of Flint have protested the unsafe components found in their water, including lead. While the state claims the crisis was allegedly resolved and water has been lead-free for the last three years, residents have become uncomfortable with trusting officials and resorted to drinking bottled water. "It's almost like we got PTSD with the water because we don't really drink it comfortably, like, you know what I'm saying? People actually lost their lives to it," Craig Davis, a lifelong Flint resident, told CBS News.
The pandemic made things even more difficult for Flint residents. With water bottle shortages nationwide amid the novel coronavirus, many Flint residents did not always have access to bottled water. "Now you got people who are taking extra money out of their pockets and just going to the grocery store and just buying up the water at the grocery store," Davis said. "But you add on the pandemic — now the water's not even there to even grab." The settlement comes after 18 months of consistent negotiations and was overseen by U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy.
In the settlement announcement on Thursday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apologized for the “troubles” Flint residents faced in the last six years. She added that while she knows the settlement is not completely what the city needs, it will help residents move forward. "What happened in Flint should have never happened," she said, "and financial compensation with this settlement is just one of the many ways we can continue to show our support for the city of Flint and its families."
According to The Washington Post, issues with the city’s water began almost immediately after the city changed the source of its municipal water supply in order to save money. The water was changed from Lake Huron to the Flint River, and without proper corrosion-control treatment, chemicals from pipes infected the water supply. Despite complaints by residents of discolored and nasty-smelling water, public officials made no changes for almost two years, raising concerns that the crisis was denied due to the city’s demographic being predominantly made up of minorities.
Children were among the most vulnerable, with lead poisoning creating a great risk of not only physical damage but neurological issues. In 2015, researchers with Virginia Tech University found that Flint water samples had abnormally high lead levels. This study was followed by reports by local doctors that children were found to have high levels of lead in their blood. But rather than taking immediate action due to the rising number of children infected, officials questioned medical reports, the Post reported.
"My heart breaks because the fact of the matter is I handed them the glasses of water," one parent told CBS News. "When I heard my son get up at night and cry because his bones hurt, and there's nothing I can give him, there's nothing I can do for him to take away his pain. I feel completely helpless."
According to The Washington Post, officials estimated that between 18,000 to 20,000 children and young adults lived in Flint during the water crisis. "The kids in Flint at every turn have been unnecessarily victimized by the circumstances of their life, poverty, a government that was dishonest with them," Corey M. Stern, lead counsel for plaintiffs in the settlement, said. "This is a crescendo moment," he added, reflecting on the many obstacles that delayed justice. "To these kids, there's been a hell of a lot of losses. And I don't know of many wins . . . [but] this is a big win for them, and it's beyond the money. It's what it says."
The Flint water crisis has made headlines for years with stories of ongoing trauma and health issues, including rashes and hair loss. While the state began working on repairs and efforts to fix the water crisis in recent years, their efforts came too late. Repairs still remain unfinished, with many Flint homes awaiting replacement of lead service lines, The New York Times reported.
In January, the Supreme Court said it would not block a civil rights lawsuit filed by Flint residents that held public officials accountable for allowing the water supply to become contaminated with lead. "Knowing the Flint River water was unsafe for public use, distributing it without taking steps to counter its problems, and assuring the public in the meantime that it was safe is conduct that would alert a reasonable person to the likelihood of personal liability," the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.
Other lawsuits against Michigan, Flint, and the public officials who advised on the city’s water issues are pending. Settlement payments are expected to be distributed at the beginning of spring of 2021.