Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful posts and comments over the last week.
But… and here’s the rub… while the thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated, what we really need is money. A lot of money.
While the state government is most culpable in this crisis (albeit abetted by some actors on the local and federal level) their commitment to fix the problem has been slow and, so far, insufficient.
If Flint is going to even be habitable in the years to come, all of those pipes will have to be replaced, which has a possible price tag of $1.5 billion. In the meantime, residents will have to rely on a combination of bottled water and frequently replaced filters. Rest assured that plenty of time will be lost wrangling over who is going to pay for all this.
But let’s not talk about pipes and bottles and filters. Let’s talk about medical care and treatment and proper nutrition. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who proved that pipe corrosion had led to elevated levels of lead in Fint kids, has said that “we consider the whole cohort … exposed to the drinking water, especially 6 years and under since April 2014, as exposed, regardless of what their blood level is on Jan. 11.”
Many members of that cohort, which consists of 8,657 children, and which includes two little girls I love more than anything, as well as most of their friends, will need years of medical care, observation, and solid nutrition to offset the effects of the water they were told was safe to drink over the last 21 months.
So… if you really care about us, if you really are heartbroken and appalled that this could happen today, through acts of careless and callous disregard, then I’m going to go ahead and ask you for your money.
Instead of or in addition to posting about the crisis on Facebook and Twitter, please consider making a donation to support relief efforts here. There are many places you can donate, but the one I most want you to consider is the Community Foundation of Greater Flint:
Water bottles will be emptied and recycled.
Filters will be exhausted and replaced.
Eventually, even the pipes will be fixed.
Someday, those problems will be behind us.
But these children are going to struggle with the effects of lead poisoning for their whole lives.
Their future is the most important question to answer here.
Please consider making a donation.