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Snyder activates National Guard to help with Flint

Aaron Dunigan waves to cars as volunteers hand out water at the Joy Tabernacle Church on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Flint, Mich. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pledged Monday that officials would make contact with every household in Flint to check whether residents have bottled water and a filter and want to be tested for lead exposure while his embattled administration works on a long-term solution to the city's water crisis. (Conor Ralph/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Aaron Dunigan waves to cars as volunteers hand out water at the Joy Tabernacle Church on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Flint, Mich. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pledged Monday that officials would make contact with every household in Flint to check whether residents have bottled water and a filter and want to be tested for lead exposure while his embattled administration works on a long-term solution to the city's water crisis. (Conor Ralph/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Aaron Dunigan waves to cars as volunteers hand out water at the Joy Tabernacle Church on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Flint, Mich. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder pledged Monday that officials would make contact with every household in Flint to check whether residents have bottled water and a filter and want to be tested for lead exposure while his embattled administration works on a long-term solution to the city's water crisis. (Conor Ralph/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press 2 min read

FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder late Tuesday activated the National Guard to help distribute bottled water and filters in Flint as it deals with a drinking water crisis.

Snyder’s executive order issued late Tuesday is intended to bolster outreach to Flint residents, where volunteers and police have been going door to door with bottled water, filters and lead test kits.

Snyder said Monday the water situation is a “crisis” and last week declared an emergency.

For months, water drawn from the Flint River leached lead from old plumbing into homes after the city switched its drinking water in 2014 from Detroit’s system to save money. Testing in October detected increased lead levels in residential water supplies and in children’s blood. Exposure to lead can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children.

Flint, which has about 99,000 residents in an estimated 30,000 households, has since returned to Detroit’s system for its water.

The state auditor general and a task force created by Snyder have faulted the Department of Environmental Quality for not requiring Flint to treat the river water for corrosion and belittling the public’s fears. The agency’s director stepped down last month.

Snyder also has been the target of criticism.

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Eggert reported from Lansing, Michigan.