FLINT: When she turned on her faucet one day in 2014, Chanel McGee watched in disgust as a brownish trickle poured out. A strong musty smell lingers today. Residents of the US city of Flint are still suffering the consequences of a historic water crisis that is fueling a lively rejection of politics – and by extension the races in the White House. This mother of two from the Canadian border state of Michigan – a key state in the November polls – has been drinking only bottled water for a decade. “I started to feel a little nauseous… now I drink bottled water, I don’t drink from the tap because I don’t like the smell,” says the 47-year-old woman in her kitchen, permeated by it. mildew smell. An insect-blackened trap hangs above her sink. He also buys water for washing, which he pours into pots and heats on the stove. “I want everything to change, I want the creek to be clean, I want everything to be clean, I just want it to be decent for us and the kids so we can live on and not worry about this water and stuff. “that it’s happening … I’m sick of it,” says McGee, who is unemployed. “I’m not going to keep crying about it,” she adds. The crisis it is experiencing began in 2014, when Michigan, as part of austerity measures, decided to change the water supply to the predominantly black city of Flint. Instead of drawing from the region’s lakes, one of the world’s largest supplies of fresh water, officials opted to draw from a polluted, acidic river, exposing its 100,000 residents to water heavily contaminated with lead for more than a year. The health scandal had international repercussions and – among other things – caused learning disabilities in many children. He saw a spike in cases of Legionnaires’ disease that led to the deaths of a dozen people and widespread distrust of public officials. The same authorities said that the vast majority of lead pipes have since been replaced and that the water is now safe to drink. “They can drink it, but I know I won’t,” McGee told AFP. That distrust of authority goes all the way up: He says he doesn’t trust the two presidential candidates, both of whom are eyeing Michigan — a coveted prize in the November election. Her thoughts on Republican Donald Trump, who visited the state Tuesday: “What is he going to do for us? Will he change anything here? Will he change the water? Will he change the city?” And Democrat Kamala Harris? “I don’t even know who that is,” McGee replies with a shrug. “No one seems to care about the struggling town and the problems they have,” agrees Dennis Robinson, leaning against the table of the yellow brick inn. The 69-year-old man, a lifelong resident of Flint, has also not drawn water from the city for years. “You can only lie to me for so long,” he told AFP. A former employee of General Motors, the auto company founded in the city and for many years its main employer, Robinson says he has noticed learning problems in many of the children in his neighborhood that he believes are related to their lead exposure. The observation has been confirmed by several scientific studies. “It’s creating a generation of people, a group of young people, who are going to face problems for probably their whole lives,” Robinson says with a sigh. A number of public and private initiatives have been launched to support these children and lift Flint, which was hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis, out of the doldrums. More than a third of the population lives below the poverty line. The city center with art deco style buildings has undergone a major renovation. But entire sections of the city, with their discarded doors and gutted front porches, testify to just how far it is possible to go. They also need to get rid of the “contaminated city” image. Bri Gallinet, a waitress at an upscale restaurant, describes fear and panic when the crisis first hit — but now she says visitors to the city are making fun of the water. “Every time we set the table, we put water in front of them and they laugh and say, ‘Is it safe?'” says the 35-year-old. “My first response is, I’m not trying to hurt you,” he says. “Somehow it’s not funny. It hurts our feelings.”
