The state of Michigan is expected to pay about $ 600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis, according to two people with knowledge of a large settlement announced this week.
The money would largely go to children in Flint who were poisoned by leaded tap water after officials changed the city’s water supply six years ago, causing a crisis that drew national attention and caused much concern. for many residents remains.
Details of the settlement were not released and lawyers and public officials involved in the case declined to comment Wednesday night. But tens of thousands of Flint residents are expected to be eligible to receive money under the scheme, which is subject to approval by a federal judge in Michigan.
The individual amounts received from the settlement would depend on the degree of suffering and damage by Flint residents of the water.
The settlement is the culmination of more than 18 months of negotiations, intended to answer a difficult question for the residents of a city abused by disaster: What are the victims of the Flint water crisis to thank?
In 2014, as a cost-saving measure for a city in deep financial distress, officials in Flint, led by a state-appointed emergency manager, switched the Lake Huron city’s water supply to the infamous Flint River. Officials failed to add the corrosion controls to the tap water, investigations later found, causing lead and other chemicals from the old, dry pipes in the drinking ban.
It did not take long for residents of Flint to know that something was terribly wrong with their water. It tasted metallic and often turned green or light brown. Many people began to get sick and experience skin loss, hair loss and other mysterious symptoms.
But when they confronted elected officials and demonstrated outside City Hall, their lawsuits were dismissed.
Months later, tests showed elevated and alarming levels of lead in the blood of some Flint children. Dr Mona Hanna-Attisha, a local pediatrician, and other scientists and researchers have issued warnings that were initially ignored by state and local officials. In the fall of 2015, in the face of overwhelming evidence, Michigan goochier Rick Snyder acknowledged that the water was not good.
In the years that followed, the city and state took steps to restore Flint residents.
The water source in Flint was switched back to Lake Huron water, which is being treated in Detroit. But in Flint, it is still common to use bottled water for cooking, drinking and even bathing, as the suspicion of government officials runs high.
Some of the works for repairing pipes in Flint remain unfinished. Last week, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced that the multi-year project to replace lead service lines was in its final phase, with fewer than 2,500 Flint homes awaiting line replacement. The project, funded by a $ 87 million settlement with the state of Michigan, was originally promised to be completed by January 2020. It was resumed this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic and was restarted in June.
Last year, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that her office had collapsed in pending criminal cases against government officials involved in the scandal, but she promised to continue with investigation. Her office has not filed any additional charges since.
Thousands of Flint residents have filed lawsuits against the state.
Two judge-appointed mediators helped the parties reach an agreement: former Michigan Senator Carl Levin and Judge Pamela Harwood, who is retired at Wayne County Circuit Court.
Anyone who lived in Flint between 2014 and 2016 could be eligible for a claim. The payments are expected to be distributed in early spring 2021.
Kathleen Gray reporting contributed.
