Michigan governor activates National Guard to help distribute bottled water, filters to homes in Flint

LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has activated the National Guard to help distribute bottled water and filters in the city of Flint, which is confronting a drinking water crisis.

His executive order issued late Tuesday is intended to bolster outreach to Flint residents. The crisis comes after state health authorities confirmed elevated blood-lead levels in children.

Volunteers and police have been going door to door with bottled water, filters and lead test kits.

 

The Michigan State Patrol is coordinating the effort with the Genesee County Sheriff's Department. They began escorting eight teams of volunteers Tuesday morning, trudging through 3 inches of snow with more falling.

Capt. Casey Tafoya of the sheriff's department says he does not know how long the effort will take, but they hope to get to 500 to 600 houses a day. The city has a population of about 99,000 with an estimated 30,000 households.

Gov. Rick Snyder last week declared a state of emergency because of elevated levels of lead in the city's drinking water.