6 years after water crisis began, what has changed in Flint -- and what hasn't

00:06:54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCNDE58G4KQ

Summary

TLDRThe Flint water crisis, which began in 2014, resulted from a cost-saving decision to switch the city's water supply to the Flint River, causing lead contamination due to improper treatment of the water. Though Flint stopped using the river in 2015, the repercussions continue to affect residents, particularly children. A new $600 million settlement from the state of Michigan aims to provide financial relief, with 80 percent allocated for children under 18 at the time of the crisis. The settlement also includes funds for special education, addressing a significant rise in special needs students caused by the crisis. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a local pediatrician, has been instrumental in raising awareness and advocating for affected children. Though the settlement provides some financial remediation, long-term health, developmental needs, and infrastructure repairs are ongoing challenges for Flint. The crisis also highlighted broader inequalities in access to clean drinking water in the United States.

Takeaways

  • 🚰 Flint's water crisis began in 2014 due to a switch to the Flint River.
  • 💧 Lead contamination occurred from aging pipes and improper treatment.
  • 👶 Children were most affected, leading to a $600 million settlement.
  • 📚 Settlement includes funding for increased special education needs.
  • 🏛 Federal and state lawsuits and investigations are ongoing.
  • 🔊 Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha raised early alarms about the crisis.
  • 🔄 Flint returned to its previous water source in 2015.
  • ❤️ The crisis has long-term health impacts on residents.
  • ⚖️ Settlement signifies restorative justice for Flint.
  • 📈 Special education needs rose by over 50% due to the crisis.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:06:54

    The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has raised national concerns about access to clean drinking water and continues to affect Flint residents six years after it began. Michigan officials announced a preliminary agreement to settle lawsuits by paying $600 million to Flint residents, particularly benefiting young people affected by lead contamination from corroded pipes. Governor Whitmer acknowledges the settlement is a step towards healing but not a complete solution. The state shifted the city's water source to save money, leading to lead poisoning. A majority of the funds will support children affected, with additional resources for special education. The settlement is seen as a gesture of accountability, yet Dr. Hanna-Attisha emphasizes the need for ongoing investment in Flint's community resources, as children still suffer from health impacts.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What caused the Flint water crisis?

    The crisis began when the city switched its water source to the Flint River, leading to lead contamination due to improper treatment.

  • What is the recent settlement announced for Flint residents?

    Michigan officials announced a $600 million settlement to compensate Flint residents affected by the water crisis.

  • Who will benefit most from the settlement?

    Around 80% of the settlement funds are designated for children who were under 18 when the crisis began.

  • Why is special education funding being increased in Flint?

    The number of special education students has increased by over 50% since the water crisis, prompting additional funding.

  • Has the water source changed since the crisis began?

    Yes, Flint stopped using water from the Flint River in 2015.

  • What long-term effects are still seen in Flint residents?

    Residents, especially children, continue to suffer from health and developmental issues related to the crisis.

  • Is the Flint water crisis completely resolved?

    No, while some remedies are in place, issues with health and infrastructure persist.

  • What role did Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha play in the crisis?

    She was one of the first to alert the public about the lead contamination and advocates for children's well-being in Flint.

  • What does the settlement symbolize for Flint?

    It represents a form of restorative justice acknowledging the harm done to residents.

  • Are there other legal actions still pending?

    Yes, there are ongoing lawsuits against the federal EPA and engineering firms, and a state criminal investigation is still underway.

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  • 00:00:00
    JUDY WOODRUFF: The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, exposed major health and environmental
  • 00:00:04
    concerns for residents of that city. It also prompted new scrutiny about the access of
  • 00:00:09
    clean drinking water for millions of people around the country.
  • 00:00:14
    As John Yang reports, Flint is still grappling with the consequences of that situation, and
  • 00:00:19
    now the state will provide some financial relief for the city's youngest residents.
  • 00:00:24
    JOHN YANG: Six years after the Flint water crisis began, crews are still replacing the
  • 00:00:29
    lead pipes that made so many residents sick, and people are still relying on bottled water.
  • 00:00:35
    MAXINE ONSTOTT, Flint Resident: We wake up, we brush our teeth with bottled water. We
  • 00:00:39
    drink bottled water. We're out of bottled water, pack back up, let's get in the van,
  • 00:00:43
    and go get some more bottled water.
  • 00:00:44
    JOHN YANG: Today, Michigan officials announced a preliminary agreement to pay Flint residents
  • 00:00:49
    $600 million to settle lawsuits filed against the state.
  • 00:00:53
    Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who took office just last year:
  • 00:00:56
    GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): We reached this settlement because further delays were unacceptable.
  • 00:01:00
    And I want to acknowledge that Flint residents have been beyond patient. We recognize that
  • 00:01:05
    the settlement may not completely provide all that Flint needs.
  • 00:01:10
    We hear and respect those voices and understand that healing Flint will take a long time.
  • 00:01:16
    JOHN YANG: In April 2014, officials appointed by the state tried to save money by shifting
  • 00:01:21
    the source of the city's drinking water from Lake Huron to the Flint River. But the more
  • 00:01:26
    corrosive river water wasn't treated properly. As a result, lead, which can cause brain damage
  • 00:01:33
    in children, leached into the drinking water from the city's aging pipes.
  • 00:01:37
    Under the proposed settlement, nearly 80 percent of the money would go to those who were younger
  • 00:01:41
    than 18 when the crisis began. The state would also set aside a fund to pay local schools
  • 00:01:46
    for special education students, whose numbers have gone up more than 50 percent since the
  • 00:01:51
    crisis began.
  • 00:01:53
    Ariana Hawk's son developed blisters and a rash, and her daughter's blood tests show
  • 00:01:58
    elevated lead levels.
  • 00:01:59
    ARIANA HAWK, Flint Resident: It's devastating. It's very hard to deal with on a daily basis.
  • 00:02:03
    It's hard to even just deal with it as a parent, because, sometimes, I feel like I can do better.
  • 00:02:07
    But it's not my fault that the water is like this. It's not something that I asked for.
  • 00:02:10
    It's not something that I chose for my kids.
  • 00:02:12
    JOHN YANG: The city stopped taking its drinking water from the Flint River in 2015, but the
  • 00:02:17
    effects, medical and otherwise, still linger.
  • 00:02:21
    The settlement must be approved by a federal judge, and doesn't affect other lawsuits against
  • 00:02:26
    the federal EPA and engineering firms involved in the water project. In addition, a state
  • 00:02:32
    criminal investigation is still under way.
  • 00:02:35
    Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is a Flint pediatrician. She was one of the first to sound the alarm
  • 00:02:40
    about the water in Flint, and has become a leading advocate for the well-being of the
  • 00:02:45
    city's children.
  • 00:02:46
    Dr. Hanna-Attisha, thanks so much for being with us.
  • 00:02:48
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, Michigan State University: It's always great to be with you.
  • 00:02:50
    JOHN YANG: Eighty percent of the money from this fund is going to go to children affected
  • 00:02:57
    by this. Is that a fitting acknowledgment of the disproportionate effect this has had
  • 00:03:04
    on the children of Flint?
  • 00:03:05
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA: I think so, John.
  • 00:03:07
    And I was really reassured to hear at that the settlement process listened to the community's
  • 00:03:13
    voices, it was very much informed by the community, but it almost very much respected the science
  • 00:03:18
    of what happened in Flint.
  • 00:03:20
    It respected the recognition that there's no safe level of lead, that there was this
  • 00:03:24
    population-wide lead exposure, and that our youngest children were going to be the most
  • 00:03:28
    impacted by this trauma.
  • 00:03:31
    So, you see that reflected in the settlement.
  • 00:03:33
    JOHN YANG: And they have also set up a fund to fund special education in the local schools,
  • 00:03:40
    which has mushroomed since this crisis began.
  • 00:03:45
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA: Yes, that's fantastic news.
  • 00:03:47
    Our schools are already under-resourced, underfunded. The pandemic has added another layer of educational
  • 00:03:55
    inequities for our kids. So, to provide extra resources for our schools, especially for
  • 00:03:59
    our kids who have special needs and need more of that support, that is fantastic news.
  • 00:04:05
    JOHN YANG: Six hundred million dollars, it may sound like a lot, but when you consider
  • 00:04:08
    that Flint's population is about 100,000, it may not necessarily be a lot for individuals,
  • 00:04:15
    although there are all sorts of things that have to be determined before they can figure
  • 00:04:19
    out who gets how much money.
  • 00:04:22
    But beyond the dollars and cents, is there a -- sort of a significance or a symbolic
  • 00:04:29
    value in the state saying, yes, we are going to pay this money in this case?
  • 00:04:35
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA: John, that's a great question. And that's something that I have
  • 00:04:38
    really come to appreciate as a physician in Flint, the concept of restorative justice
  • 00:04:44
    being so critical for healing and health and recovery.
  • 00:04:49
    You can think of the Flint water crisis as a wound, as a scar. And without that symbolic
  • 00:04:56
    gesture of justice and accountability, it's very hard for the people of Flint to move
  • 00:05:01
    forward.
  • 00:05:02
    So, we are grateful to everybody that has realized that, without restorative justice
  • 00:05:07
    and some form of damages given to the people impacted, it's very difficult for us to move
  • 00:05:14
    forward.
  • 00:05:15
    JOHN YANG: You have also said that this is not the end of the story, that this settlement
  • 00:05:18
    is not the end.
  • 00:05:19
    What more needs to be done? What more in sort of long-term resources does the -- does the
  • 00:05:24
    city need?
  • 00:05:25
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA: From the moment of recognizing really the scope of this crisis,
  • 00:05:29
    top layers of inequities that we had in Flint, our work has been holistic, to wrap our children
  • 00:05:36
    with evidence-based, science-based interventions to promote their health and development.
  • 00:05:39
    And that's what we have been able to do in Flint through the work here in our clinic,
  • 00:05:43
    where we give kids nutrition prescriptions, and early child care services, and school
  • 00:05:48
    health services, and expanded Medicaid. So, this is long-term work. And we're really respecting
  • 00:05:53
    the science of what kids need to be healthy.
  • 00:05:56
    So, this settlement is great, but we also need the other long-term investments that
  • 00:06:01
    have been granted by other state and federal resources, the continuation of our registry
  • 00:06:05
    to follow folks over time.
  • 00:06:07
    JOHN YANG: Give us a sense, six years on from this crisis beginning -- and they're still
  • 00:06:13
    replacing the water pipes. They say that they probably will hope to end sometime later this
  • 00:06:17
    year -- what you're seeing among your patients.
  • 00:06:20
    What effects are you still seeing among your patients in Flint?
  • 00:06:23
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA: That our children and the people of Flint are still suffering,
  • 00:06:26
    that there are issues with health and development, and that, once again, it's great that we have
  • 00:06:31
    these resources, because they're meeting these unmet needs that are ongoing in regards to
  • 00:06:36
    this crisis.
  • 00:06:37
    JOHN YANG: Very good.
  • 00:06:39
    Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha from Flint, Michigan, thank you very much.
  • 00:06:42
    DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA: Thank you, John.
Tags
  • Flint Water Crisis
  • Lead Contamination
  • Health Impact
  • Settlement
  • Children
  • Michigan
  • Water Supply
  • Environmental Justice
  • Public Health
  • Infrastructure