As the extent of the public health crisis caused by lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich., becomes clearer, authorities are scrambling to provide bottled water and filters to residents.
Some celebrities have been pitching in with funds and bottled water donations. This morning AQUAhydrate, a company partly owned by Mark Wahlberg and Sean "Diddy" Combs, said it will send 5,000 cases of bottled drinking water to Flint, The Associated Press reports, and will send more until the crisis is resolved.
Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon said yesterday he will donate $10,000 to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint to help residents:
Cher, Pearl Jam, Big Sean, Meek Mill, and Eminem are among the other celebrities who have made donations so far.
The lead contamination in Flint's water supply began in 2014 after the city chose to switch its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River, reportedly as a cost-saving measure. Despite residents' complaints, the state government has just recently begun to take action. Michigan governor Rick Snyder has apologized to Flint residents for the crisis—an apology that, for many families with serious concerns about their children's health after lead exposure, does not mean a lot.
“No citizen of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe,” Snyder said. “Government failed you—federal, state, and local leaders—by breaking the trust you place in us.”