Flint emails: State, city appear unable to share info

Luke Skywalker · Feb 9, 2016

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[h=4]Flint emails: State, city appear unable to share info[/h]Feds worried a*lack of cooperation*in Mich. could be hampering the public health response.

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While government officials scramble to rid Flint's tap water of lead, victims are suing Gov. Rick Snyder, the former mayor, and almost anyone else who may have had a role in supplying the troubled city with corrosive river water. (Feb. 8) AP

508225074.jpg WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 03: Flint residents Gladyes Williamson (C) holds a bottle full of contaminated water, and a clump of her hair, alongside Jessica Owens (R), holding a baby bottle full of contaminated water, during a news conference after attending a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the Flint, Michigan water crisis on Capitol Hill February 3, 2016 in Washington, DC. Williamson, and Owens traveled to Washington by bus with other flint familes to attend the House hearing on the crisis, and demand that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder be brought before Congress to testify under oath. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)(Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

DETROIT —*More than eight months before Gov. Rick Snyder disclosed a deadly Legionnaires' disease*outbreak in the Flint area, federal health officials worried a*lack of cooperation*in Michigan could be hampering the public health response.
Thousands of pages of*emails obtained by the Detroit Free Press on Monday show*increasing*concern about the quality of the Flint's drinking water as tensions grew over a lack of coordination*to combat the waterborne*disease.
County health officials were warned for reaching out to federal experts for help while they struggled to persuade*Flint city officials to provide needed information, the emails show. Others in emails*wondered about ethical breaches*and the possibility of a cover-up.
In sum, a review of the emails provided by Genesee County from several*public-information requests*appear to illustrate the inability, if not unwillingness, of city and state*agencies*to share information with the county as it investigated multiple Legionnaires' cases. The*clash among bureaucrats went on privately for months*despite growing fears inside Flint among residents that something was deeply wrong with the city's drinking water.
USA TODAY
Mich. board approves petition to recall Gov. Snyder

“We are very concerned about this Legionnaires’ disease outbreak,” Laurel Garrison of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote to Genesee County health officials in an April 27, 2015, email. “It’s very large, one of the largest we know of in the past decade, and community-wide, and in our opinion and experience it needs a comprehensive investigation.”
Garrison added in her email*that ”I know you’ve run into issues getting information you’ve requested from the city water authority and the MI Dept of Environmental Quality. Again, not knowing the full extent of your investigation it’s difficult to make recommendations, and it may be difficult for us to provide the kind of detailed input needed for such an extensive outbreak from afar.”
DETROIT FREE PRESS
E-mails: Snyder aide was told of Legionnaires' in March

There were at least 87 cases across Genesee County during a 17-month period, including nine deaths, but the public was never told about the increase when it was happening — even after an initial wave of more than 40 cases were under investigation*by early 2015.
It is unclear whether swifter action by government officials could have prevented a return of the outbreak last summer. But a*public health investigation is ongoing.*Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia caused by bacteria in the lungs. People get sick if they inhale mist or vapor from contaminated water systems, hot tubs or cooling systems, or in some cases, showers.
Genesee County Health Department officials could not be reached for comment Monday night.
Typically,*Genesee County saw between six*and 13 Legionnaires' cases a year, according to officials. In 2014, the*number jumped to 42.*In 2015, there were 45 confirmed*cases.
USA TODAY
Legionnaires’ expert blames spike in Flint on water

Officials investigating the outbreak in 2014 worried about disclosing*a suspected cause.
Liane Shekter Smith, the head of the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance for the state Department of Environmental Quality contacted state health officials “a couple of times” to discuss the Legionnaires’ outbreak in 2014, according to emails.
“She was concerned that an announcement was going to be made soon about the water as the source of the infection; I told her the Flint water was at this point just a hypothesis,” Susan Bohm of the Department of Health and Human Services wrote to officials in Genesee County in an email dated Oct. 21, 2014.
Last week, Snyder announced *Sheketer Smith's termination, saying “putting the well-being of Michiganders first needs to be the top priority for all state employees.”
USA TODAY
Michigan official fired over Flint water crisis

The emails released Monday also showed how local officials struggled to contain the outbreak.
On Feb. 10, 2015, Genesee County Health Department epidemiologist *Shurooq Hasan wrote to an outside expert about 47 Legionnaires’ disease cases in 2014,*which was almost four times the number of cases in 2013.

Gov. Rick Snyder*(Photo: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press)

“We have investigated a hospital as a potential source for the disease, but have expanded our investigation to include the city water supply,” Hasan said in the*email.
“Of our 47 cases, 25 cases have occurred within the city water supply distribution system. No common links have been found between the cases. The majority of our cases are home bound immune-compromised individuals who have not traveled and are not readily mobile,” he wrote.
Hasan said those stricken were in such bad condition that they are unable to answer questions that would assist with the investigation.
USA TODAY
What is Legionnaires' disease?

On June 8, 2015, Jim Collins of DHHS emailed several officials at the county health department*saying he had spoken with officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that morning about the Legionnaires’ issue. He then chastised county officials for talking to the CDC without state approval.
“Relative to communications around the investigation, I believe that CDC is in agreement that their involvement really should be at the request of the state, rather than the local health department,” Collins said. “To be clear, we do value the skills and resources of our CDC colleagues, but we also recognize that their involvement needs to have some structure,” and, “I want to reinforce the necessity that investigation communications from the Genesee County Health Department need to be directed to staff at the MDHHS.”
By Dec. 5, Tamara Brickey, the Genesee County Health Department’s public health division director,*said in an email to other county health officials that “the state is making clear they are not practicing ethical public health practice.”
“Now evidence is clearly pointing to a deliberate cover-up. In my opinion, if we don’t act soon, we are going to become guilty by association.”
Tamara Brickey, public health division director, Genesee County Health Department
“Now evidence is clearly pointing to a deliberate cover-up,” Brickey wrote. “In my opinion, if we don’t act soon, we are going to become guilty by association.”
Snyder publicly revealed the Legionnaires'**outbreak on*Jan. 13 of this year, saying he had learned of it just days earlier. A spokesman for the governor Monday night*reiterated that the governor acted quickly after he learned of the outbreak.
But last week, other emails released by the liberal group Progress Michigan showed an*aide in Snyder's office was notified in March 2015*— more than nine months before Snyder said he learned of the problem — that there was an increase in Legionnaires' disease cases in Genesee County. The aide, Harvey Hollins, said in an interview last week he did not brief the governor on the issue at the time because he told state environmental department officials to gather more information and make their own recommendation if warranted.
Public notifications about such outbreaks are typically handled by the local health departments, Geralyn Lasher, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said Monday.
Lasher said the state provided help to the Genesee County Health Department on wording for a public press release, but she was unsure if the department ever released it.
Flint's switch to using the Flint River as its water supply in April 2014*was followed almost immediately by complaints from residents about discolored, pungent water that had caused a number of ailments. Local and state officials insisted for months the water was safe to drink but reversed course after independent testing discovered unsafe lead levels throughout the system believed to be caused by leaching from lead piping.
Flint is now under a state of emergency because of the lead issue. State officials maintain*they have been unable to link the Legionnaires' outbreak definitively to the Flint River water supply.
County health officials feared as far back as the fall of 2014 the outbreak was connected to the switch to using the Flint River for*drinking water.
USA TODAY
2 dogs positive for lead amid Flint water crisis

The new emails show other state health officials investigated the outbreak*at least*a year before the governor's public announcement.
On Jan. 27, 2015, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services epidemiologist Shannon Johnson emailed the county health department about the Legionnaires’ disease issue, saying “at this point, the priorities in the public health investigation are to determine the scope of the outbreak and to define as clearly as possible the characteristics of the cases of Legionnaire’s Disease ...”
“A current map of the municipal water system needs to be obtained and cases’ residences mapped in relation to the water system,” Johnson said.
Overall, county officials express concerns about a growing number of people in the Flint area contracting*Legionnaires' disease.
The state Department of Health and Human Services had begun assisting the county in*fall*2014, and the Legionnaires’ investigation had become “very intensive” in early 2015, according to Dr. Eden Wells, Michigan’s chief medical executive.
The first wave of 42*cases was commonly known within the state health department, Wells said, but the agency did not take the information to the governor until confirming a second wave of 45*cases and analyzing them together.
But back on Jan. 27, 2015, a county health official*expressed frustration in an internal email that he couldn't obtain information from local and state officials to investigate suspicions the water supply was behind the Legionnaires' outbreak.
“Initially the water plant was cooperative, but since the beginning of November they have not responded to multiple written and verbal requests.”
James Henry, Genesee County environmental health supervisor
“Initially the water plant was cooperative, but since the beginning of November they have not responded to multiple written and verbal requests. Howard Croft has not responded the email that I sent yesterday morning, either," James Henry, a county environmental health supervisor, wrote in the email.
“I have explained our responsibilities to investigate and that our intent to work together with the City to identify potential risks so they can be reduced or eliminated. I was hoping to avoid FOIA, but we are getting nowhere.”
In another email, written a day earlier, on Jan. 26, Henry wrote: “MDEQ, Mike Prysby and Steve Busch declined to meet with our office. They did not have any comparable information regarding other public water systems relative to Legionella or Heterotrophic bacteria. They encouraged us to conduct our investigation and mentioned that they could assist with obtaining information from the water plant. I explained that they are the regulatory agency and participation is expected.”
On Feb. 5, Howard Croft, the city of Flint’s public works director, alerted*Henry*about “another person who is reporting a rash on their child.”
A note from a doctor, Croft wrote, asserted that the woman’s son “breaks out when he is in the bath with the city water.” He asked Henry to work with the woman and supply any needed data that could “help determine the cause.”
Henry responded less than two hours later. He didn’t provide the data but instead spelled out how he said the city had not responded to the county’s earlier request for information.
Henry said the county health department attempted as far back as November 2014 to obtain information about the city’s water system.
“Your office has not provided a return phone call or response to emails,” he told Croft in the email.
In January, Henry said that he also filed a Freedom of Information request with the city to try to obtain information about city water, but his request did not provide what he sought.
“I am still hopeful*that we can work collaboratively to protect the health of the community and resolve any issue with the Flint water supply.” Henry wrote.
USA TODAY
How water crisis in Flint, Mich., became federal state of emergency

By November*2015, Henry had grown frustrated by the lack of cooperation he said he received from state environmental officials.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality “reminds me of a stubborn 2yr old child,” Henry wrote on Nov. 6 to Genesee County Health Officer Mark Valacak. “Instead of doing what is right, they’ll willfully take another spanking just to be defiant.”
On Dec. 4, Henry recapped events over several months in an email to other county health officials and singled out a specific state health department official he said had sabotaged their Legionnaires’ disease investigation.
“I think deaths could have been avoided, had he not!” Henry said. He said he thought state officials were motivated to impede the investigation because they “were concerned that Genesee County’s largest U.S. legionella outbreak, would implicate the Flint water system, for which they were responsible.”
Henry wrote that “some of the people at the state agencies are simply criminals,” and “I do find it rather impressive how good they are at covering their tracks."
Contributing: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press.*Follow Matthew Dolan, Elisha Anderson, Paul Egan and John Wisely?*on Twitter: @matthewsdolan,*@elishaanderson,*@paulegan4*and*@Jwisely

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISClinton: What Happened in Flint Is 'Immoral' | 01:35Despite trailing in polls in New Hampshire, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stopped by a church in Flint, Michigan, to spotlight the water situation in the city. (Feb. 7) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISEPA: Flint Water Tests Show Filters are Crucial | 01:09Federal officials are continuing to urge Flint, Michigan, residents to use filters on their tap water. (Feb. 4) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISHouse Panel Issues Subpoenas in Flint Crisis | 01:40The chairman of a House panel pummeled two key figures in the Flint water crisis, including Flint's former emergency manager, saying subpoenas are being issued requiring both officials to appear before committee to give sworn testimony. (Feb. 3) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISMembers of Congress to Mich.: Fix Flint Crisis | 01:49Speaking after a congressional hearing into the Flint water crisis, members of Congress held a news conference pointing blame at the Michigan government and urging immediate action to fix the disaster - and fast. (Feb. 3) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISCongress Takes First Look at Flint Water Crisis | 01:13Michigan should have required Flint to treat its water for corrosion-causing elements after high lead levels were first detected, the state's top environmental regulator told lawmakers at DC's first congressional hearing on the crisis. (Feb. 3) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISEmotional House hearing on Flint: 'We poisoned kids' | 01:45At the House hearing on Flint's water crisis, emotional testimony was heard by members of congress on the events leading up to the water contamination in the Michigan city. VPC

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISFlint Mayor Wants Lead Pipes Removed from City | 00:38Flint Mayor Karen Weaver says she wants lead pipes removed from the city's water distribution system as soon as possible. (Feb. 2) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISSenate Dems Pitch $400 Million for Flint Pipes | 01:13Senate Democrats proposed $400 million in emergency federal aid to Flint, Michigan, half of what the state's Republican governor says it will cost replace and fix the city's lead-contaminated pipes. (Jan. 28) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISRachel Maddow to Host Special Broadcast on Flint Water Issue | 00:46MSNBC's Rachel Maddow says she is planning to host a special broadcast on the Flint, Michigan, water crisis out of concern that directing political blame was getting more attention than the needs of the city's residents. Maddow will host a special t Wochit

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISGov. Meets Flint Pastors Concerned About Lead | 00:38Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver met with area pastors in the city dealing with lead-tainted drinking water. Snyder says it's important for officials to engage with residents as much as possible. (Jan. 28) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISFlint Residents Upset About Water Bills | 02:03Flint residents aren't the only ones unhappy they're still being expected to pay for substandard water. The issue of water bills coming due in the middle of the Michigan city's emergency also has the attention of officials as well. (Jan. 29) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISPistons owner will assist with crisis in Flint | 00:41Pistons owner Tom Gores has a plan in place to raise funds for those affected by the water crisis in Flint, Mich. USA TODAY Sports

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISIS'Too Soon' To Give Flint Water All-Clear | 00:56Michigan officials say water samples in Flint are "trending better," but that it's too soon to give the go-ahead to residents to resume drinking unfiltered water. (Jan. 27) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISFlint Children Tested for Lead | 01:10Children in Flint, Michigan had their blood drawn during a family fun night event at a local elementary school so it could be tested for lead. Elevated lead levels were found in children's blood in Flint after the city switched water sources. (Jan. AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISWater Donations Continue to Roll Into Flint | 01:32Faith-based and nonprofit organizations, companies large and small, the rich and famous and rank-and-file groups and individuals all have targeted Flint, Michigan, for significant charitable giving. (Jan. 26) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISWalmart, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Pepsi will donate up to 6.5 million bot | 01:03Walmart and several global beverage-makers have pledged to deliver about 175 truckloads of bottled water to Flint as the Michigan city deals with a public health emergency caused by lead-tainted water. USA TODAY

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISSpecial Counsel To Investigate Flint Situation | 01:03Michigan's attorney general on Monday named a former prosecutor as special counsel to investigate whether laws were broken during the process that left Flint with lead-tainted water. (Jan. 25) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISSome Blame Race, Poverty in Flint Water Crisis | 02:08One question has persisted since the full extent of the Flint water crisis emerged: Would this have happened in a wealthier, whiter community? (Jan. 22) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISPunchlines: What's more toxic than water in Flint? Not much | 04:17The late-night comics on Gov. Snyder's late, flimsy response to the crisis. Take a look at our favorite jokes, then vote for yours at opinion.usatoday.com. Eileen Rivers

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISFlint Mayor slams state on water crisis | 01:35Speaking at a mayor's conference in Washington Wednesday, the mayor of Flint, Michigan said the state should be held accountable for the city's ongoing water crisis. (Jan. 20) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISMich. Gov. Devotes Speech to Flint Water Crisis | 01:35With the water crisis gripping Flint, Michigan threatening to overshadow nearly everything else Rick Snyder has accomplished, the Republican governor again pledged a fix Tuesday night during his annual State of the State speech. (Jan. 20) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISGov. Snyder outlines plan to fix Flint's water crisis | 02:13Governor Rick Snyder outlined his plan to fix the water crisis in Flint, Michigan during his State of the State address. VPC

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISGov. Named in Lawsuits Over Flint Water Crisis | 01:20Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is among officials named in lawsuits filed over the handling of the Flint water crisis (Jan. 19) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISFlint water crisis: 5 things you need to know | 01:35The once quiet city of Flint, Michigan is facing a drinking water crisis that is drawing concern from around the nation. Here's what you need to know about how the public health crisis has evolved. VPC

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISIS'Brown, corrosive' water woes, outrages Michigan town | 02:08Just one hour north of Detroit in Flint, Michigan where residents have felt under siege for years, the newest threat pours from kitchen spigots and showerheads. VPC

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISRaw: Door-to-door water delivery begins in Flint | 00:50Deputies from the Genesee County Sheriff's Department began the door-to-door water delivery initiative across Flint on Monday morning, helping residents cope with the ongoing water crisis. (Jan. 11) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISMichael Moore returns to Flint amid water crisis | 01:21Documentary filmmaker and former Flint resident Michael Moore returned to his hometown to call for President Barack Obama to come see the water crisis for himself. (Jan. 16) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISCher believes in helping Flint and donates 181,000 bottles of water | 01:00The singer tweeted her heartbreak upon hearing people in Flint were dying of Legionella bacteria linked to lead in the city's water. Buzz60

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISNatl. Guard arrives in Flint amid water crisis | 00:48The National Guard arrived in Flint, Michigan Wednesday to help with water and filter distribution amid a crisis with the city's water system. (Jan. 13) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISObama declares emergency in Flint over contaminated water | 01:54President Obama has declared a state of emergency in Flint, Michigan because of water contamination.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISLong-term solution sought for Flint water crisis | 00:25Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says help is being given to Flint residents affected by the city's water woes while officials work on a long-term solution. The governor made his remarks during a tour of the Detroit auto show. (Jan. 12) AP

FLINT, MICH. WATER CRISISWater emergency in Michigan | 00:35Michigan governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency amid a federal investigation in Flint over problems with lead in the city's drinking water. It makes available state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations. USA TODAY

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Flint emails: State, city appear unable to share info

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