The water crisis and, in turn, the crisis faced by school children in Flint is not some fleeting story, some sort of 'it happened so let's move on. Often, this is the way things work out in America. Take care of an issue, or so we believe, and that's it.
On Monday the Flint School District Superintendent, Bilal Tawwab, spoke with NPR about the water crisis in terms of its effects on the students. Not only are the effects almost completely unknown but other conditions in the district will persist and exacerbate the already momentous problems.
As Bilal explained, one simply can't predict how Flint's children will be impacted by the high levels of lead. Aside from the drinking water and preparation of cafeteria food the district is over $10 million in debt. Such a dire financial situation will certainly inhibit the ability of the district to solve the many problems at their doorstep.
Obviously bottled water and foods that don't need to be washed are needed. Perhaps medication will have to be part of the solution. However, these items just scratch the surface relative to the ongoing crisis. Mental care will a critical component to address in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
Yes, this is not some fleeting issue which will be quickly taken care of.
Dick
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