More National Guard troops move into Flint as water crisis widens
The National Guard sent dozens of additional members into Flint, Michigan, on Monday to help address the impoverished city's water crisis, as Gov. Rick Snyder came under widening criticism — from residents and presidential candidates — for his handling of a massive exposure to lead.
The 70 new guardsmen more than doubled the number already in Flint to hand out bottled water, filters and testing kits in the city's worst-hit neighborhoods. The first wave of troops arrived over the weekend, while President Obama declared a state of emergency and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to join the effort.
The contamination is linked to Flint's decision — under the oversight of a city manager appointed by Snyder — to save money by taking tap water from the Flint River. Soon after the April 2014 switch, some of the city's 100,000 residents began complaining about the taste, smell and appearance of the water. Tests later showed the river water lacked proper treatment, causing lead to leach from old pipes. Local children have shown elevated levels of lead in their blood, a condition that can cause permanent brain damage.
See photos from the ongoing crisis:
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is investigating possible crimes. Snyder has been accused of allowing the problem to fester.
Protesters said they would march near Snyder's home in Ann Arbor on Monday afternoon.
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton expressed her outrage at Sunday night's Democratic presidential debate. She suggested racial undertones to Flint's problems and blamed Snyder.
"We've had a city in the United States of America where the population, which is poor in many ways and majority African-American, has been drinking and bathing in lead-contaminated water," Clinton said. "And the governor of that state acted as though he didn't really care."
Her chief rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has also criticized the way Snyder has handled the unfolding disaster.
Snyder, a Republican, has repeatedly apologized, and did it again in a breakfast appearance at the University of Michigan's Flint campus, according to the Detroit News.
He also accused Clinton of seeking political gain by criticizing him.
"Obviously, I care," Snyder told the newspaper. "I'm here today. We've done a number of actions. We're going to keep working on putting solutions in place."
More from NBC News:
Long-awaited reunions, joy for Americans freed by Iran
Ohio cop killed, weapon and cruiser stolen
Watch SpaceX Rocket Explode Upon Ocean Landing
