RadioOnFire.com - Tech billionaire Elon Musk has been known to offer help, from donating solar batteries to Puerto Rico to building a tiny ‘submarine’ to rescue that Thai soccer team that was trapped in a cave. (It was never put to use.) The latest disaster to land on Musk’s radar? The water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
The predominantly black city of Flint has been reeling from a manmade water crisis since 2014 when the city switched its water source, exposing everyone to lead-contaminated water. Twelve people died as a result of a Legionnaires outbreak from the same water source switch. Given how many times the state and city told residents the water was safe when it wasn’t, people have a hard time trusting their water even today.
Now, Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, wants to help. He hopped on Twitter Wednesday to affirm his “commitment” to “fund fixing the water in any house in Flint that has water contamination.” And the city’s mayor is ready to work with him.
“This would be the first time for someone at [Musk’s] level to have taken interest in Flint and say, ‘I want to help,’” Mayor Karen Weaver told Earther.
The mayor’s office told Earther it has been in touch with Musk’s team for preliminary conversations about what this partnership or donation or whatever Musk is offering could look like. Weaver said she still hasn’t gotten Musk on the phone, but the plan is for that to happen by Friday.
“This would be the first time for someone at [Musk’s] level to have taken interest in Flint and say, ‘I want to help,’” Mayor Karen Weaver told Earther.
The mayor’s office told Earther it has been in touch with Musk’s team for preliminary conversations about what this partnership or donation or whatever Musk is offering could look like. Weaver said she still hasn’t gotten Musk on the phone, but the plan is for that to happen by Friday.
Source: earther.com
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