To help battle the public health crisis affecting the people in Flint, Michigan who have been knowingly poisoned by public officials who wanted to save their state some money, Cher has teamed up with Icelandic Glacial to provide more than 180,000 bottles of clean water to the city’s residents.
The pop icon and Twitter legend has been vocal about the situation, speaking out against Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for not keeping residents safe and allowing them to drink “poison water.”
Cher is paying for half of the bottles, with the water company matching her donation, reports NBC News. The water will begin shipping today and is scheduled to arrive in Flint by Wednesday.
In a statement, Cher said:
“This a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country. I am so grateful that Icelandic Glacial has come on-board to help the city of Flint. I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned because the water they’ve been getting out of their taps has been polluted for so long and remains that way without the state or the federal government stepping in with any substantial plan to resolve this problem.”
In 2014, city officials began sourcing water from the Flint River in order to save money. Residents soon began complaining the water was cloudy, foul-smelling and tasted bad. Cases of children with elevated levels of lead in their blood have been reported since the change, and cases of Legionnaires’ disease have also seen a spike, with one expert telling the Free Press that there was a “very strong likelihood” the water is to blame.
On Saturday, President Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide water, filters and other items for 90 days.
Contact the author at marie.lodi@jezebel.com.
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