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3-3 Final Project Part B Milestone One: Choose a Crisis Situation
For this project, I've selected to address the critical matter concerning the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In 2014, officials in Flint, Michigan, made the decision to transition the city's water source from Detroit's water supply to the Flint River, aiming to reduce water expenses for the financially challenged city. As a result, Flint residents were subjected to water contaminated with lead, posing significant health risks. After the transition, the water flowing through these lead-contaminated pipes appeared discolored, often with a foul odor. The contaminated water posed severe health hazards, exposing residents to toxic levels of lead poisoning and the risk of Legionnaires disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.
The video offered insights into the crisis, shedding light not only on its impact on residents' health and the fatalities it caused but also on the accountability of state officials for this
dire situation. The video revealed that an employee at the water plant had issued warnings before
the switch, expressing that the project wasn't prepared, and the water wasn't safe. Unfortunately, his alerts were ignored, and the project proceeded regardless. After concerns about the escalating
health risks and deaths allegedly linked to the water switch were raised, state officials persistently reassured residents that the water was safe and that the issues were unrelated to the switch. State officials only began addressing the concerns when health issues persisted, and evidence linking the outbreak to the water change was presented. State officials obstructed scientists and experts from investigating the issue, aiming to conceal their own involvement and awareness of the unsafe conditions.
Several state officials faced criminal charges for their involvement in the project and their negligence, which resulted in health issues and fatalities among Flint residents.
