Snyder Finally Declares State of Emergency After Federal Investigation and Public Outcry

Governor Rick Snyder declares a state of emergency for Genesee County due to the ongoing health and safety crisis caused by lead in Flint’s drinking water—21 months after the initial water switch and three months after independent researchers forced the state to acknowledge the lead poisoning. The declaration comes only after federal officials confirm they are investigating the matter and mounting public pressure makes the crisis impossible to ignore.

The same day Snyder declares the state emergency, federal EPA officials confirm they are investigating the catastrophic government failure that poisoned thousands of children. Nine days later, on January 14, Snyder requests that President Barack Obama declare a federal emergency, a request Obama grants on January 16, 2016, providing federal resources to help supply residents with safe drinking water. However, Obama denies Snyder’s additional request for a major disaster declaration.

The delayed emergency declaration reveals Snyder’s priorities and political calculation. His administration had received numerous warnings throughout 2014 and 2015: residents’ complaints starting immediately after the April 2014 switch, GM’s October 2014 decision to stop using the water, EPA official Miguel Del Toral’s February 2015 memo warning of lead contamination, LeeAnne Walters’ test results showing hazardous waste levels of lead, and Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s September 2015 research proving elevated blood lead levels in children.

At each point, Snyder’s administration chose denial and concealment over public health protection. State officials attacked Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s credibility, manipulated data to hide the crisis, and assured residents the water was safe to drink. The emergency declaration comes only when federal investigation and national media attention make continued denial politically untenable.

A 2018 University of Michigan report would conclude that Snyder was “partly to blame” for the crisis, finding that his administration’s prioritization of cost savings over public health and his emergency manager law’s elimination of democratic accountability directly enabled the catastrophe. Yet Snyder faced minimal consequences: charges filed in 2021 were dismissed on technicalities in 2022.