Michigan residents plagued by Flint water crisis face mounting bills for water they're afraid to use
The city threatened thousands of residents with possible property liens or foreclosure if they fail to pay.
I was the lead writer and lead reporter of the text piece and video piece, which which is part of a year-and-half of reporting I led on failed promises by government officials in the wake of the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
May 25, 2024
Earlier this month, the city of Flint, Michigan, quietly mailed out several thousand notices to their water customers with overdue bills, threatening to place liens on their property and exposing homeowners to the possibility of foreclosure if they fail to pay.
Anita Johnson is one of at least 9,000 customers the city says are more than six months behind on their bills. She and others who live here still don’t trust the water a decade after city and state officials made a drastic decision meant to save the Flint water system money.
Instead, toxic water that flowed into people’s homes left a wake of lawsuits, an exodus of its tax base, and cost the ultimate price — at least a dozen residents dead and countless others poisoned.
For many in Flint, including Johnson, that’s meant 10 years of buying bottled water. Ten years of living in fear when using tap water to shower, cook, and wash hands. And years of being charged for it.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY (AND WATCH THE VIDEO) HERE.
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