New Flint emails show Snyder could have declared emergency sooner

FLINT, Mich. (WJBK) - More controversy coming out as we comb through thousands of state emails on the Flint water crisis.

And the new details are only fueling frustrations among the people still dealing with contaminated water daily.

The people of Flint know all too well about this state of emergency, this is every day.

"If people had known sooner they probably could have done more," said one resident.

Another day, another stop for bottled water in Flint. The U.S. National Guard remains stationed at fire stations turned water stations across the city. The residents are still inconvenienced, and worse - still worried.

"We find out everyday something new about the water and it's been back farther than they say and it's affecting the old people as well as the young," said resident Jacqueline Lee.

Some are increasingly frustrated as they learn more about what led to the water crisis they're now dealing with: who knew what, when, and what actions were or weren't taken to deal with this emergency.

Emails just released by Gov. Rick Snyder showed on Nov. 13, 2015 his office was told - "As you
know, the governor can declare at any time, for any reason."

Capt. Chris Kelenske with Michigan State Police also cautioned "The state will formally own the event if
we put a governor's declaration in place. this could be viewed as the state having owned up to how the
water issue was caused."

Again that was in November, but the state did not declare an emergency until after local officials did so in January 2016.

FOX 2: "Do you think the governor should have stepped in and declared an emergency earlier?"

"Yes, nine people died from the Legionnaire’s disease," said resident Louise Rawls. "Babies breaking out in rashes and you got people with high blood pressure - heart problems, diabetes, and kidney problems."

But a spokesperson for Gov. Snyder told FOX 2: "While the governor can legally declare an emergency, it is extremely rare for a governor to do so without the local municipalities doing so, first.

"As soon as they realized they couldn't keep up, they declared emergencies at the city and county level and the state declared immediately.

"If the state declares an emergency without the locals declaring one, that can interfere with receiving assistance from the federal government, which is why it's only done in extraordinary circumstances."