Flint Water Crisis Continues to Devastate the City

Almost 3 years.

That’s how long the town of Flint, Michigan has been without clean water.

In April of 2014, Flint switched its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to the Flint River in an attempt to save a few million dollars. Because corrosion inhibitors—a chemical compound that cleans the water—were not applied, public health problems arose quickly.

The tap now supplies the town with water that contains alarming levels of lead and is nowhere near drinkable. Many residents have taken to living off of bottled water—a very expensive alternative to using their faucets. Of course, not everyone can afford to do so.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 41.2% of residents in Flint are living below the poverty line.

“You can’t survive without good water, so imagine living off of bottled water. You gotta wash your face, brush your teeth, take baths, wash your clothes, and cook food,” says Leon El’Alamin, community activist in Flint. El’Alamin states that some people have begun to take showers with filters on their showerheads and are putting filters on all their faucets. “That’s the safest way to go.”

Flint residents weren’t always aware that the water they were using was so dangerous. According to El’Alamin, the truth came out far too late.

“I noticed that the color of the water had changed—this was early 2014. I had turned on my faucet and the water was yellow. I also noticed the foul odor. I started getting these rashes. My son had hair loss.”

After they noticed the change, El’Alamin and other community activists immediately took action, seeking to inform the rest of the community of the danger in their own taps.

Regretfully, it wasn’t very easy to raise awareness at the start. “I was ridiculed to be seeking attention. We were all called crazy.”

An outbreak of the disease known as Legionnaires’—a severe type of pneumonia—began in 2014. Officials believe that the outbreak is related to the consummation of the contaminated water, though no official connection has been made. According to Detroit Free Press, there have been a total of 12 deaths related to the disease since the water source was changed, though dozens of others have been infected.

Another community activist in Flint, Jermaine Davis, created a short film titled Plastics about a family in Flint living off of bottled water. The film shows a couple and their son facing the new difficulties of a life without running water

“This film is very dear to my heart. I wrote it based upon what I experienced and what other people had to go through with their children having lead poisoning,” Davis says. “It’s crazy, I never thought that water bottles could be so valuable where it’s your source for cooking and bathing.”

Now that no one can deny that there is a problem, “the community is just getting beat down,” says El’Alamin. “Depression is at an all-time high. They’ve gone through so much you can see it in their faces. Especially the elders.”

So what can you do to help?

There are many charities that are accepting donations for Flint. The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan is accepting shipments of a hundred or more cases of bottled water for the residents. Any water bottle donations of fewer than a hundred cases should go to the Catholic Charities or the Red Cross. The United Way of Genesee County has set up a Flint water fund to help pay for water bottle cases, filters, and emergency services. You could also donate to The Community Foundation of Greater Flint, a local charity.

“We appreciate anything anyone can do to assist us,” El’Alamin says.

Although those suffering through this disaster will likely never be able to forget the pain it caused, Flint can hopefully go back to the way it was before with the help of the generous volunteers and lots of hard work. The residents of Flint will continue to fight for their rights until change is finally made.

According to Davis, the water crisis has brought the community together, despite being one of the biggest blows the city has ever faced. He wants the whole world to see what families are going through during this disaster.

“Check your pipes and test your waters, and continue to keep Flint in your thoughts and prayers.”

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Wren Wheeling

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