Congressman Dan Kildee Asks President Obama for Immediate Assistance for Flint, Michigan

WASHINGTON - Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) wrote a letter to the President today following yesterday's announcement by Governor Snyder that Legionnaires' disease has caused the death of 10 people in Genesee County since April 2014. The letter in its entirety is below: President Obama:Governor Snyder announced yesterday that there was an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area that has killed 10 people since April 2014. Although the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services knew about this outbreak as early as the fall of 2014, they failed to tell the people of Flint about this health danger until now. In addition to elevated lead levels in the water, this is but another example of the state's inability to deliver safe water to the residents of Flint. The people I represent in Michigan have lost any trust that the state can keep them safe and demand a federal response.Since September, I have made repeated requests to different federal agencies to help provide residents in Flint with safe drinking water. I continue to hear from these agencies that they are unable to act until the state requests their help. While the state fails to act, more residents, including thousands of children, suffer permanent damage. Enough is enough. In order to restore public confidence and ensure the water in Flint is safe, I request that federal experts from agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency be sent to Flint. In addition to previously requested help to deal with the crisis related to lead levels in our water, we need federal help to determine the cause of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak and what can be done to prevent it from happening in the future.