Photo courtesy of @theweather_rewind/ Instagram.
Federal Judge Judith E. Levy has approved the people affected by the Flint water crisis to receive a $626 million settlement. Court documents were filed on Nov. 10.
According to the Washington Post, 80 percent of the settlement will go to residents under 18-years-old at the time of their exposure to the poisoned water.
More than 50 percent of that amount will go to children under six years old when exposed to toxic water. The youngest victims face the most significant risk of neurological issues and lead poisoning due to drinking the tainted water and is reflected in the judge’s ruling.
“This distribution recognizes that those who were exposed to contaminated Flint Water at a younger age will experience the more harm than older people,” wrote the Judge.
Twenty percent of the settlement will go to other lawsuits pertaining to the Flint water crisis, such as loss of revenue and property damage.
The Flint water crisis began in 2015 after the city declared a state of emergency following a report by the Environmental Protection Agency. The report noted toxic levels of lead flowing into the homes of the city’s residents. The levels of lead found can be damaging to the heart, kidneys and nerves.
Many feel that the settlement isn’t enough, considering the unknown health issues that are certain to arise years down the road.
The former Mayor of Flint, Dr. Karen Weaver, said that the settlement was
a slap in the face.“This was not justice for the people of the city of Flint,” said Weaver. “The amount in this settlement does not reflect the value of the lives that have been lost in the lives that have been damaged.”
The former mayor also voiced her displeasure on Twitter and posted that the settlement did not reflect the value of the lives in Flint affected by the tragedy, which are primarily Black people.
“This is not#JusticeForFlint!” she wrote. “#FlintLivesMatter! #JusticeForFlint! The settlement amount granted by Judge Levy in no way reflects the value of Flint lives! This is a slap in the face to the residents of this city!”
City officials began drawing water from the Flint River instead of Lake Huron in 2014 to save money but failed to ensure corrosion-control chemicals were added to the water supply.
The result was toxic lead seeping into residents’ water supply through old pipes. At the same time, the city has begun replacing pipes. It still has a long way to go in making the water supply safe for all the city’s residents.
Dr. Weaver hopes that those responsible for the water crises will be held accountable for their crimes, in addition to the city finishing the task of making the water safe for all residents.