This is the daily 2-1-1 summary on the Flint Water Response for Monday, March 7, 2016
GENERAL INFORMATION
- The next Community Partners meetings will be held on Thursday March 10 from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm at Food Bank of Eastern Michigan at 2300 Lapeer Rd, Flint, MI 48503. Each of the six Recovery Workgroups will provide updates on their progress on Thursday. Workgroup meetings times are:
- Communication Workgroup: Monday, March 7th, 3:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church
- Coordination Workgroup: Tuesday, March 8th, 2:00 p.m., American Red Cross
- Education Workgroup: Tuesday, March 8th, 8:30 a.m., Special Services North (5075 Pilgrim Rd., 48507)
- Mental Health Workgroup: TBA
- Physical Health Workgroup: TBA
- Resource Recovery Workgroup: Tuesday, March 8th, 9:00 a.m., Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
Notes from the March 3 Community partner meeting are attached to today’s update email.
- MLIVE reports few Sentinel water test sites actually have known lead pipes: State officials said the Sentinel site program is designed to monitor the city’s entire water distribution system and not focus solely on the lead service lines blamed for poisoning people. Full story at http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/03/few_lead_pipes_included_in_sta.html
- Thursday, March 10 at 4:30 pm Rep. Dan Kildee will be part of a panel discussion at UM Flint North Bank Center, 432 N. Saginaw St., 4:30 p.m. Other panelists include Nayyirah Sharriff from the Flint Democracy Defense League, and Val Washington, a Flint attorney.
CALL VOLUME
Michigan 2-1-1’s part-time Technology Manager was unable to complete the data analysis of last week’s call volume and needs. We will strive to have a full analysis in tomorrow’s report. In the meantime you can view Flint referral data at http://mi211.211counts.org/ by clicking on the Top Request Category: Disaster.
SPECIAL NEEDS/REQUESTS
- Good 360, a national non-profit that coordinates large scale donations from corporate partners, is working with United Way of Genesee County to develop a list of needs from Flint residents that will be used to target corporate support. Visit https://good360.org/flint-michigan/ for more information.
RUMOR/SCAM CONTROL
- 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 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.
- Related Issue: The form distributed with water testing sample bottles still states that samples must be returned to either City Hall or the Water Plant.
THIS NO LONGER CORRECT. WATER SAMPLE BOTTLES MAY BE RETURNED TO ANY OF THE FIRE STATION WATER RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION SITES. - 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 3/3/16: Seeking guidance on managing open wounds following recent surgery/injury. A few callers have contacted 2-1-1 asking about the safety of using Flint water to clean open wounds. 2-1-1 is telling these callers to contact their physician and advise using bottled water to cleanse wounds unless advised otherwise. CAN DHHS VERIFY THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE GUIDANCE FOR CALLERS?
- From 3/5/16: Residents are asking if it is safe to use tap water in humidifiers. Flint Water Department has received several calls expressing concern about breathing aerosolized water contaminated with lead.
2-1-1 is working with DHHS to confirm if there is a potential problem inhaling water that contains lead. - From 3/5/16: SEOC received reports of problems dialing 2-1-1 on Lifeline cell phones (aka Obamaphones). Investigation revealed there could be an issue for Boost, TRACPhone or MetroPCS customers making calls on the T-Mobile cellular network. T-Mobile was immediately responsive and is working with Michigan 2-1-1 to determine if there is any problem translating the 2-1-1 abbreviated dialing code to the standard toll-free line.
If you hear of any caller having difficulty reaching 2-1-1, please ask them to report the number of the cell phone used, the time and location where they were calling to tpage@uwmich.org.
REMINDER: Anyone having trouble dialing 2-1-1 in-state, or trying to contact Michigan 2-1-1 from anywhere in the U.S. can connect to an agent by calling our toll-free number at 1-844-875-9211.
