Paul Egan

Detroit Free Press

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday night activated the state’s National Guard to assist with the ongoing crisis involving the city of Flint's drinking water, officials said.

Members of the National Guard are expected to staff fire stations and distribute bottles of water, freeing members of the American Red Cross to handle the door-to-door distribution of water and water filters, according to Snyder’s chief of staff, Jarrod Agen.

Snyder issued the executive order to mobilize the Guard amid ongoing criticism that he and his administration have moved too slowly to respond to the crisis.

Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead in 2014 after its supply source was switched from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to water from the Flint River treated at the city water treatment plant.

Mich. gov�s statement sparks water-crisis questions

Immediate complaints about the odor, smell and taste of the water were downplayed and largely ignored by the state before the Department of Environmental Quality acknowledge in October it had failed to require the addition of needed corrosion control chemicals, resulting in lead leaching from pipes and fixtures into the water.

Lead can cause brain damage in children and is linked to other health and behavior problems.

Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint and Genesee County on Jan. 5. On Tuesday, the Michigan State Police and other officials began distributing bottled water and water filters to remove lead, door-to-door in Flint. The state also has urged all Flint parents with children younger than 6 to have their childrens' blood tested for exposure to lead.