*The state of Michigan is expected to pay about $600 million to victims of the Flint water crisis.
The move is part of a major settlement that is set to be announced this week, per New York Times. The contaminated water disaster occurred in one of Michigan’s poorest, blackest cities, which is being mismanaged by suspected white supremacists.
Here’s more from ABC News:
The majority of the settlement, about 80%, will go towards minors. Settlements for children ages 6 and under amount to 64%, while 10% will go towards children ages 7 to 11 and another 5% will go towards children ages 12 to 17. It’s estimated that tens of thousands of schoolchildren in Flint were exposed to toxic heavy metals in the city’s water.
Some 8,000 children are believed to have some level of lead poisoning in the city, while 150 people died from Legionnaires Disease.
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Watch our Emmy-nominated 2019 documentary “Flint’s Deadly Water” for a closer look at the findings of our two-year investigation into the true toll of Flint’s water crisis. https://t.co/SAoyia1VXm
— FRONTLINE (@frontlinepbs) August 20, 2020
“Providing relief for the people of Flint and resolving these long-standing legal disputes has been a top priority for me since taking office,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “This settlement focuses on the children and the future of Flint, and the State will do all it can to make this a step forward in the healing process for one of Michigan’s most resilient cities.”
If the settlement receives final court approval, it will be largest in Michigan state government history.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer acknowledged that the settlement will still leave the families affected feeling “justifiable frustrating.” She added that “healing Flint will take a long time, but our ongoing efforts and today’s settlement announcement are important steps in helping all of us move forward.”
“Ultimately, by reaching this agreement, I hope we can begin the process of closing one of the most difficult chapters in our State’s history and writing a new one that starts with a government that works on behalf of all of its people,” Nessel said.
Last year, Nessel announced that her office was dropping pending criminal cases against government officials who were implicated in the water scandal.
Thousands of Flint residents have filed lawsuits against the state.
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