2-1-1 Update Flint Water Response for Monday, April 4, 2016

This is the 2-1-1 update on the Flint Water Response for Monday, April 4, 2016

This update is produced by Michigan 2-1-1 three times a week (M-W-F) with special updates as needed. Organization updates, information and announcements can be sent to tpage@uwmich.org.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Flint Water Crisis Community Partners Workgroup Meeting ScheduleThe Community Partners Workgroup met on Thursday, March 31. The meeting included a detailed update by the EPA on water testing and research into reports of rashes attributed to Flint water. Full meeting notes are provided as an attachment to today’s update.Weekly meeting schedule:
- Communication Workgroup: Monday, April 4^th, 3:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church
- Coordination Workgroup: Tuesday, April 5^th, 2:00 p.m., American Red Cross
- Education Workgroup: Tuesday, April 12^th, 8:30 a.m., Special Services North (5075 Pilgrim Rd., 48507)
- Flint Community Resilience Group (FCRG) Mental Health Workgroup: TBA
  - Sub-workgroups
  - FCRG Data & Gap Analysis: Every Thursday, 1:30 p.m., Genesee Health System Board Room
  - FCRG Planning & Coordination: Every other Wednesday (NEXT: April 6^th), 10:30 a.m., Genesee Health System Board Room
  - FCRG Faith: April 14^th, 11:30 a.m., Genesee Health System, 5^th Floor
  - FCRG Stress Management: Every other Wednesday (NEXT: April 13^th), 12:00 p.m., Genesee Health System 4^th Floor Conference Room
  - FCRG Outreach to Special & Vulnerable Populations: Meeting on-line, via e-mail (to become part of this workgroup, please e-mail rkeswick@genhs.org)
  - FCRG Psychological First Aid (PFA): TBA (for more information, please e-mail nkirsh@genhs.org)
- Physical Health Workgroup: TBA, Greater Flint Health Coalition (3^rd Floor, Suite 301)
- Resource Recovery Workgroup: Tuesday, April 5^th, 9:00 a.m., Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
Community Partners Meeting: Thursday, April 7^th, 3:00 p.m., Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

Mobile Food Bank Schedule For April – Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and DHHS have announced the April and May schedule for mobile food pantry stops to distribute foods rich in calcium, vitamin C and iron that can help limit the effects of lead exposure. Food distribution sites remain open while supplies last.
- Full schedule is in attachment titled “April-May 2016 Flint Mobile Food Pantry Schedule”
  This week’s delivery dates and sites are:
  - Tuesday, April 5, at noon – North End Soup Kitchen, 735 E. Stewart Ave.
  - Thursday, April 7, at 9 a.m. – Flint First Wesleyan Church, 3825 Davison Road.
  - Thursday, April 7, at 4 p.m. – West Court Street Church of God, 2920 W. Court St.
  - Friday, April 8, at 4 p.m. – Vermont Christian Church, 1201 Lippincott Blvd.
Information about additional food distribution dates will be announced as they are scheduled. For more information, visit the Food Bank website at www.FBEM.org or call 810-239-4441.
Free Dog lead level testing will be offered by MSU School of Veterinary Medicine on Saturday, April 9 from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m at Christ The King Education Center 1802 Seymour Ave. Flint, MI 48503 at the corner of Seymour Ave. & Lapeer Road Across the street from Christ The King Catholic Church. For more information call 810-233-0402 or email leadteam@cvm.msu.edu with questions about lead screening for pets.
Water bill credits are expected to be announced later this week. City finance director Jody Lundquist said Flint customers should expect to see water credits this week as part of a $30 million state plan to reimburse bills dating back two years. Full story at mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/04/water_bill_credits_expected_th.html
A million glasses of milk for Flint families: Following a recommendation of the Flint Pediatric Public Health Initiative, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and Kroger have started an initiative called org to provide milk to families in Flint to try and combat the potential health consequences associated with the water crisis.
Visit Full article at: www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/04/initiative_hopes_to_provide_1.html#incart_2box_news_flint
Flint will receive $13.9 million for blight removal from a federal grant that also provides $18.6 million statewide to support mortgage assistance programs. A second and larger award may be announced later in April. Full story at detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/04/04/blight-funding-detroit-flint/82613136/
Detroit Free Press story expects report on rash investigations by late April. Investigators are working through 478 reports of rashes from Flint residents. To date 336 residents meet the criteria for the rash study because they 1) had contact with the Flint municipal water system and 2) have reported new or worsening rashes since Oct. 16, 2015, when the city switched its water source back to Lake Huron. A local dermatologist helping with the research says, “I don’t know what to do about people who had rashes before, when we had the bad water from the Flint River.”
- Residents with rashes or hair loss attributed to Flint water can call 2-1-1 to be referred to the study.
- Full story at www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/04/01/flint-water-cris-rash-skin/82527830/

CALL VOLUME
2-1-1 call volume continues to remain manageable with existing staffing levels. A summary of calls to 2-1-1 for the week of March 28 – April 3 will be included with Wednesday’s update.

SPECIAL NEEDS/REQUESTS
No special needs or requests were reported since the last 2-1-1 update.

RUMOR/SCAM CONTROL
2-1-1 SPECIAL NOTICE UPDATE – On Thursday, March 31 a 2-1-1 special update shared information from Flint Water Plant regarding reports of teams of up to nine individuals visiting local homes to sample water and make repairs without providing identification to residents On Friday, the Joint Information Center (JIC) issued a press release warning residents of imposters posing as water officials. Guidance from the JIC and other community partners advises the following:

Residents should always ask for identification from anyone asking to enter their home.
If anyone asks to enter a home without presenting id or acts suspiciously, call 9-1-1 or the Sheriff’s Office at (810) 257-3600.
Recognized Water Response Teams of local, state and federal government agencies and nonprofit partners always wear official identification when visiting homes and will allow residents to see their id if asked.
Residents should be cautious of door-to-door solicitors handing out fliers or promising to speed up services, including those who ask for large cash deposits or advance payments in full for construction.
Residents are warned to be careful when offered services by phone or email. If the deal being offered is too good to be true, it is probably fraudulent.
To check a company’s complaint history, call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-877-765-8388.

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 artis ts at www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-164-17337_20942-375279–,00.html.

UNRESOLVED

From 3/8/16: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?
  Response from EPA, and Food & Drug Administration: Almost all disposable bottles of water are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET, recycling number 1). PET is an extremely stable type of plastic. There should not be any problems with storing disposable bottles of water in sunlight. Additional Info: If a consumer is concerned about exposing bottled water to sunlight and you are storing it outdoors, you can cover it with dark plastic, paper, or fabric.
- 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?
  State of Michigan Response: The concern for lead in the blood would be most relevant to blood donations, and not plasma as that is not where the lead is carried in the body. That said, the concern for lead being passed on to recipients of blood transfusions or organs would be very low for a number of reasons. Primarily, an individual with a high enough elevated blood lead level would present symptoms such as anemia that would prevent blood donation in the first place. Potential blood donors could be weeded out through self-reporting of conditions and exposures. Additionally, the donation would be diluted based on the amount of blood actually being donated (less than a 10th of a person’s blood volume). The concern for organs (which would have to be functioning normally to be donated) specifically would also be low as the majority of lead is stored in bone and circulating in blood, rather than being stored in organs.
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.
4/4/16 Response from Unified Coordination Group (UCG) convened by federal government responders. The attached PDF titled “UCG Org Chart_Flint Water Crisis_23Mar2016” shows the federal side of the response. Acronyms listed in this document include: ASPR – The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; ATSDR – Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; CDC– Center for Disease Control; DEQ – Department of Environmental Quality; EPA – Environmental Protection Agency; FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency; HHS – Health and Human Services; MSP/EMHSD – Michigan State Police Emergency Management & Homeland Security; HUD – Housing and Urban Development; OASH – Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
4/4/16 Response from the Joint Information Center (JIC), State of Michigan: The State of Michigan is a part of the Unified Coordination Group. To explain how all of us work together, we have to look at the concept of emergency management.
Q: What is Emergency Management?
A: Emergency management – not to be confused with emergency financial management – is the concept of planning for, responding to and recovering from emergencies and disasters. This involves using a “whole community” approach, which involves government, nonprofits, and private sector partners.
In Michigan, emergency management is governed by the Michigan Emergency Management Act (Public Act 390 of 1976, as amended). Every county and some municipalities within the state of Michigan have a local emergency management coordinator. And every state of Michigan department has a state agency emergency management coordinator. (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mspemd-Act_390_of_1976_7125_7.pdf)
Local and state governments maintain emergency management plans for emergencies and disasters. When an incident occurs, these plans and implemented to direct response and recovery operations. For example, Genesee County maintains a plan and the city of Flint is a part of that plan. The city of Flint has its own emergency support plan to complement the Genesee County’s emergency plan.
Every Michigan county and some municipalities have a local emergency operations center (EOC) to coordinate local emergency response and recovery efforts during emergencies and disasters.
In Michigan, the state-level emergency response and recovery coordinating agency is the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD). The MSP/EMHSD:
- Coordinates local, state and federal emergency management activities across Michigan.
- Manages operations of the State Emergency Operations Center.
- Coordinates the utilization of state assets during and after emergencies and disasters.
- Coordinates homeland security initiatives and various federal grants.
- Provides training to state and local emergency responders.Maintains the Michigan Emergency Management Plan. (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/MEMP_portfolio_for_web_383520_7.pdf)
Q: How are emergencies and disasters coordinated within local, state and federal agencies?
A: When an emergency or disaster occurs, everything is managed by the Incident Command System. It’s a system where local, state and federal governments are trained to work together. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incident_Command_System)
Q: What is the State Emergency Operations Center?
A: The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) is the emergency operations center for the state of Michigan. Located in Lansing, the center is overseen by the MSP/EMSHD and coordinates response and recovery efforts by state agencies and local government. The SEOC is staffed by members of state agencies and other partners for decision making and information coordination during disasters or emergencies in the state of Michigan.
Each state agency has a desk in the center–including MDHHS and MDEQ – and it follows the Incident Command System for management purposes. State agency services are deployed to supplement local efforts.
The emergency management overview PDF goes through how all of this flows together.
Q: What is a Joint Information Center?
A: When an incident spanning multiple agencies and jurisdictions occurs or there is a high level of media interest, public information may be coordinated through a Joint Information Center (JIC). There are different approaches to this concept, especially among local, state and federal governments. The state of Michigan’s JIC is depicted in the attached sheet. The JIC is a part of the SEOC’s ICS structure.
Q: How does Emergency Management work at the federal level?
A: The Stafford Act governs how the president declares emergencies and disasters. (https://www.fema.gov/robert-t-stafford-disaster-relief-and-emergency-assistance-act-public-law-93-288-amended)
Q: How is public information coordinated at the federal level?
A: To learn more about how federal agencies coordinate public information, read Emergency Support Function No. 15. Commonly referred to as ESF No. 15, this is a document commonly used among federal partners for the coordinating of lead agencies. (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/34369)
From 3/8/16:The Communications Workgroup requested coordination by state, federal and local governments on thedistribution 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.
4/4/16 UPDATE: The Unified Coordination Group convened a group of stakeholders to brainstorm about creating a unified, simplified document on key public information issues. It was communicated to meeting participants it will take up to 2(+) months to develop this document.
From 3/23/16: Follow up from Governor Snyder’s Tele Town Hall with Flint residents
- Appliance and water heater replacement
  - 2-1-1 is following up with the governor’s office for information on any other options to address appliance repair and/or replacement.
- Pet safety was addressed
  - 2-1-1 is following up to determine of the MSU Veterinary School will be offering additional free pet testing following the pet testing event on March 19.
    RESOLUTION: As detailed above under General Information, the MSU School of Veterinary medicine will be offering free lead testing for dogs on Saturday, April 9.