2-1-1 Update Flint Water Response for Friday, March 11, 2016

This is the daily 2-1-1 summary on the Flint Water Response for Friday, March 11, 2016

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Genesee County Health Department has two upcoming Lead Health Awareness events.
• Saturday March 12th– Flint Public Library/ Basic Needs Fair 10:00 AM- 1:00 PM
  1026 E. Kearsley St Flint, MI 48502
• Monday March 14th– Woodland Park Academy 3:30- 6:30 PM
  2083 E. Grand Blanc Rd Grand Blanc, MI 48439
• There will be an Open House for residents with the latest information on Flint’s Drinking Water System on Saturday, March 12 between 10:00 am-5:00 pm at New Standard Charter School, 2040 W Carpenter Rd., Flint, MI 48505. There are no formal schedules or presentations, but there will be experts to answer questions from EPA, USDHHS, MDHHS, MDEQ, Genesee Health Department and more.
• ABC 57 has a story in today’s news “Flint water crisis lawsuits: 5 things to know”. Read the print version at abc57.com/story/31449611/flint-water-crisis-lawsuits-5-things-to-know
• S. DHHS has appointed Assistant Surgeon General Michelle Dunwoody to work for 30 days as a senior adviser to Mayor Karen Weaver. a Dunwoody is a rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and has experience in many health crises including New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.  Full article at http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/03/11/us-lends-top-health-official-flint-water-crisis/81660962/

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: Yesterday’s update asked the Water Service Center to provide information on how residents with a pending shutoff notice will be affected by the water bill suspension.  The Service Center does not handle billing issues.  Residents with billing questions should call City of Flint Customer Service at 810-766-7015.

CALL VOLUME

Call volume today was manageable with the increased staffing in place at Central Michigan 2-1-1.

Central Michigan 2-1-1 analyzed calls requesting delivery of water resources.  Since January 11^th the 2-1-1 system has processed delivery requests from 2,959 Flint households.  Some residents have called up to ten times, but more than half have called only one time to request a delivery.  2-1-1 is investigating to determine if these one-time callers were experiencing special circumstances or if they need to be educated to submit a request each time they need resources delivered.

SPECIAL NEEDS/REQUESTS

• No special needs were reported today.

RUMOR/SCAM CONTROL

• Two residents reported calling 2-1-1 for water delivery but not getting a response: The Michigan 2-The Attorney General’s Office investigates reports of potential scams. These can be reported to the Charitable Trust Section at ct_email@michigan.gov.  The AG has tips on how to avoid falling victim to con artists at http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-164-17337_20942-375279–,00.html.

UNRESOLVED

• From 2/29/16: The City of Flint Water Plant can no longer handle water sample pick-up/drop-off for homebound residents due to increasing demand. 2-1-1 is coordinating with the Water Plant to identify another option for serving these residents and will provide updates until we confirm a solution.  In the meantime, please do not refer homebound callers to the Water Plant for assistance.  Have them call 2-1-1.
• From 3/3/16: CAN FLINT WATER DEPARTMENT OR ANOTHER PARTNER CONTACT 2-1-1 WITH INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS FOR FORMER RESIDENTS TO RECEIVE A WATER BILL CREDIT?

From 3/8/16: CAN SEOC OR THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE PLEASE ASSIST WITH A RESPONSE TO THE FOLLOWING COMMUNITY REQUESTS:

• The Community Partners Communications Workgroup is asking for guidance from the State of Michigan on the following issues:
  • What affects does heat/time have on the plastic water bottles?
  • Regarding the side-effects of lead: On average how soon do symptoms appear?
  • Who is testing the samples provided by residents? Is more than just lead and coper levels being tested? If so what is being tested?
  • Will lead be passed on to recipients that received blood, organs or plasma from Flint donors?
• From 3/8/16: The Community Partners Communications Workgroup requested additional information on safe gardening practices to disseminate to the community.
• From 3/8/16:The Communications Workgroup requested a diagram or org chart of the crisis response mechanism and how all parties work together, including JIC, EOC, SECO, UCG,CHECC, ACE, CDC, EPA, DEQ, HHS, DHHS, FEMA.
• From 3/8/16:The Communications Workgroup requested coordination by state, federal and local governments on the distribution of information related to the Flint Water situation and the response, emphasizing the community doesn’t want multiple information documents for every department. They are asking for one consistent document on key issues and a mechanism to provide feedback to government entities prior to releasing information.