LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. LIVE
LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. THE FLINT WATER CRISIS EIGHT YEARS LATER TODAY MARKS EIGHT
YEARS SINCE THE CITY SWITCHED
ITS WATER SOURCE TO THE FLINT
RIVER TONIGHT. WE’RE CHECKING
BACK IN ON THE SESSION SITUATION
FOR THE PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES WERE
CHANGED BY THE TOXIC DRINKING
WATER, A DEADLINE FOR THEM TO
GET A PIECE OF $600 MILLION
SETTLEMENT IS JUST WEEKS AWAY.
CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR HANK
WINCHESTER HAS BEEN FOLLOWING
THE STORY. FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING. HE’S LIVE IN FLINT
TONIGHT WITH WHAT HAS CHANGED
OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, HANK
. OKAY KAREN. IT’S REALLY HARD
TO BELIEVE THAT SO MUCH TIME HAS
PASSED. AND WHEN YOU DRIVE
AROUND DOWNTOWN FLINT HERE,
YOU’LL NOTICE A LOT OF CHANGE.
THERE ARE NEW BARS AND
RESTAURANTS AND LOFTS. I MEAN,
IT’S REALLY INCREDIBLE WHAT
THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO DO. BUT
WHEN YOU GET INTO THE
NEIGHBORHOODS AND REALLY TALK TO
THE PEOPLE THAT WERE AFFECTED BY
THE WATER CRISIS, YOU’LL SEE
THAT THINGS ARE FAR FROM OVER.
FLINT TODAY WHEN YOU WALK AROUND
THE CITY AND YOU MEET WITH THE
PEOPLE, YOU GET THE REAL STORY.
FORGET ABOUT THE THINGS THAT
GRAB THE BIG HEADLINES LIKE THE
SETTLEMENT DEAL OR THE ONGOING
CRIMINAL CASE. FOR A MOMENT.
LET’S FOCUS ON DAILY LIFE FOR
PEOPLE LIKE DENISE MILLER,
BECAUSE DAILY LIFE REMAINS A
STRUGGLE OF PEOPLE STILL DON’T
TRUST THE WATER. THERE’S NOT
GOING TO USE THE WATER, DENISE
STILL RELIES ON BOTTLED WATER IN
HER KITCHEN. YOU CAN SEE THE
CASES PILED UP, WHETHER IT’S TEA
OR MEAL ON THE STOVE, THE WATER
FROM THE FAUCET STILL OFF LIMITS
FOR HER. DO YOU THINK THEY’LL
EVER BE A POINT WHEN YOU TRUST
THE WATER? I HAVEN’T TRUSTED IT
BY NOW. YOU KNOW, I DON’T THINK
SO. FEW DOORS DOWN. I MEET
SABRINA RICHMOND. BOTTLED WATER.
ARE YOU ARE YOU BUYING IT NOW OR
? YEAH, I’M BUYING IT, WHICH I
CAN’T AFFORD ALL THE TIME, BUT
I’M NOT GOING TO MESS WITH
CLINTON WATER. SABRINA IS A
PROUD GRANDMOTHER. WHO ON THIS
DAY IS SHOWING ME HER FAMILY
PHOTOS. HER YOUNG GRANDCHILDREN
ARE OFTEN HERE AT HER HOME.
THANKFULLY THE WATER PROBLEMS
DIDN’T DRASTICALLY AFFECT THEIR
HEALTH. BUT SHE STILL SCARED OF
THE WATER AND SHE WON’T DRINK
IT. WILL YOU EVER TRUST THE
WATER IN FLINT AGAIN? NEVER
NEVER. WOW NEVER PROBLEM FOR
PEOPLE LIKE DENISE AND SABRINA.
THE BIG WATER DONATION EFFORT IS
PRETTY MUCH DRIED UP THE BIG
PUSH TO GET RESOURCES RIGHT TO
YOUR DOOR WHILE IT’S FADED. ONCE
THE ELECTION WRAPPED UP IN THE
NATIONAL MEDIA MOVED ON, IT
SEEMED FLINT WAS FORGOTTEN. IT’S
NOT LIKE IT WAS AT FIRST, YOU
KNOW, YOU HAVE TO CATCH A PLACE
. YOU KNOW IF THEY GIVING IT OUT
? NO IT’S NOT LIKE THAT. A LOT
OF PEOPLE PROBABLY STILL
PROBABLY JUST BUYING A WALLET,
WHICH I DO. I JUST GO OUT AND
BUY MY WATER. THE WATER SWITCH
HAPPENED EIGHT YEARS AGO. THE
CONSEQUENCES WE NOW KNOW DEADLY.
KAREN WEAVER WAS FLINT MAYOR
DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE CRISIS
. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT
MUCH TIME HAS GONE BY AND WE’RE
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. YOU
KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK WOULD BE
HAVING THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU
WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN OTHER
PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AS FAR
AS EXACTLY WHILE THOSE AFFECTED
WILL LIKELY GET MONEY FROM THE
MULTI MILLION DOLLAR SETTLEMENT
DEAL. MANY STILL WORRY ABOUT THE
WATER QUALITY TRUST IN
GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN SHATTERED.
AND THE FUTURE FOR FLINT, ITS
PEOPLE AND THE WATER. IT REMAINS
UNCERTAIN UPSET BECAUSE FLINT
HAS NOT BEEN MADE WHOLE WHETHER
WE TALK ABOUT THE PIPES BEING
FINISHED WHETHER WE TALK ABOUT
THE IN HOME INFRASTRUCTURE STILL
BEING DAMAGED, WHETHER WE TALK
ABOUT IS ANYONE GOING TO BE HELD
CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE AND DOWN
TO THE UNJUST SETTLEMENT? SO
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT
ARE PLAGUING US. THAT SETTLEMENT
MONEY WILL HELP THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY,
BUT IT COULD TAKE A WHILE BEFORE
THEY ACTUALLY SEE THAT CASH IN
THEIR ACCOUNTS. MANY ALSO
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CRIMINAL
CASES AS THEY MOVE FORWARD WHILE
THEY WERE HAPPY. TO SEE BEING
PEOPLE BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE.
CRIMINALLY WE ALL KNOW THAT THIS
CASE HAS DRAGGED ON IT HAS MOVED
VERY SLOWLY THROUGH THE COURT
SYSTEM. THE PEOPLE HERE IN FLINT
BECOMING VERY IMPATIENT WITH
THAT PROCESS. WE’RE LIVE HERE
TONIGHT IN DOWNTOWN FLINT. HANK
WINCHESTER. HELP ME HANK LOCAL 4