Obama to visit Flint after 8-year-old asks to meet him
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will travel to Flint next Wednesday to see the effects caused by a spike in lead levels in the drinking water there and address public health concerns and the government response to the crisis.
A White House official confirmed Wednesday morning that Obama will visit Flint on May 4 to “hear firsthand from Flint residents about the public health crisis, receive an in-person briefing on the federal efforts in place … and deliver remarks to community members.”
No other details such as the time of day of the visit or public access to any of the presidential events in Flint were immediately made available by the White House, though part of the impetus to visit the city – a request by 8-year-old Amariyanna Copeny to meet him – was.
The White House released a letter written to the president in mid-March by Amariyanna, who goes by Mari or "Little Miss Flint," describing herself as “one of the children … effected (sic) by this water” as she was planning to go to Washington to attend congressional hearings on Flint and "speak out for all the kids that live here."
Gov. Rick Snyder may not be part of President Obama's Flint visit
"I would love for a chance to meet you or your wife,” Mari wrote, adding, “My mom said chances are you will be to(o) busy with important things but … even just a meeting from you or your wife would really lift people’s spirits.”
While no meeting occurred at the time, this week, Obama wrote back, saying, “You’re right that presidents are often busy, but the truth is, in America, there is no more important title than citizen. And I’m so proud of you for using your voice to speak out on behalf of the children of Flint.”
“That’s why I want you to be the first to know that I’m coming to Flint,” he added. “I want to make sure people like you and your family are receiving the help you need and deserve.”
"Letters from kids like you are what make me so optimistic for the future," Obama wrote. "I hope to meet you next week, 'Little Miss Flint.'"
Flint mayor in Lansing to push for water crisis relief
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, who represents the are in Congress, said the president's visit will help to keep the focus on Flint as the water crisis continues. Residents have been warned to drink bottled or filtered water there now for months even as Michigan members of Congress have pleaded for funding to replace aging lead service lines in Flint.
“All Americans should be focused on the ongoing public health emergency," Kildee said. "A city of 100,000 people continues to not have safe drinking water and has been exposed to high levels of lead. As a nation, and as Americans, we must come together to help Flint families recover from this terrible tragedy.”
It was not immediately known if Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder -- whose administration has taken much of the blame for the circumstances that led to the high levels of lead in the water in Flint -- would attend events with the president in Flint or not.
Obama declared an emergency in Flint in January of this year after state officials made the request noting a significant increase in lead levels in residents’ tap water across the city, which is one of Michigan’s poorest. Since then, several federal agencies have been on the ground in Flint, helping to distribute water and water filters as well as working to monitor the health effects, especially on children. There is no level of lead considered safe to humans.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has taken the brunt of the blame for the high lead levels in Flint after not requiring corrosion control treatments when the city switched from Lake Huron water supplied by Detroit to more corrosive Flint River water in 2014. Without the corrosion control, lead apparently leached from miles of old lead pipes throughout the city into residents’ water.
The state, city and federal agencies have been attempting to reduce lead levels since last year but it was only early this year when the full scope of the problem became international news, with a series of congressional hearings being held, investigations launched and, last week, two state bureaucrats and a city water manager being charged criminally in Michigan.
Obama met with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver in January and during a visit to Detroit that month also told CBS News in an interview that the handling of the Flint water crisis was “inexcusable.”
Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.