FLINT, MI - Mayor Karen Weaver thanked Hillary Clinton, saying the former Secretary of State's concern over the city's water crisis helped spur government action for the residents of Flint.

Weaver, Clinton and other local political and community leaders met privately following the Democratic presidential candidate's speech Sunday, Feb. 7, at House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church on the city's north side.

"We really, really appreciate you being here because this shows your level of concern for what's going on in the city of Flint," Weaver told Clinton.

Clinton spoke to hundreds at the packed church on Sunday. She was joined at the church by Weaver, who has campaigned extensively to fix the city's water problems.

However, after the speech, it was Weaver who said Clinton deserved much of the praise for assistance the city has received.

Weaver declared in December that Flint had suffered a man-made disaster because of lead in water, the first step in requesting state and federal assistance. On Jan. 4, county commissioners endorsed Weaver's declaration, sending it to the governor for approval.

Snyder's office, on Jan. 12, requested support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and activated the state's National Guard to assist Flint residents.

Clinton appeared on MSNBC on Jan. 14 and blasted Snyder for failing to elevate Weaver's request to President Barack Obama. Later that night, Snyder's office announced the governor was forwarding the request to Obama and asking him declare an emergency for Flint and Genesee County.

"We know things were not moving, the state was not stepping up," Weaver said. "The governor wasn't moving that up until Secretary Clinton started talking about it on the political level."

Snyder's office said the application for assistance was comprehensive and took a significant amount of time to put together.

"The Governor has pulled together unanimous support across party lines to provide resources for the people of Flint," said Snyder's Press secretary Dave Murray. "Gov. Snyder has already approved nearly $40 million in aid, and has called for $30 million to provide additional relief to city residents.

"His budget proposal to the Legislature this week will focus additional long-term plans to address health, education and infrastructure issues."

Clinton's visit started with a community meeting at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church on the city's north side.

Clinton, flanked by Weaver, entered the church to a standing ovation.

"For nearly two years you were told, Flint was told, the water was safe," Clinton told the packed church.

The former Secretary of State said Flint's problems should become a national priority and what happened to the city was "immoral."

She added that she would continue to fight for Flint until the problems are fixed, and called on federal lawmakers to pass $200 million in funding to rectify infrastructure problems in the city.

"Clean water is not optional," Clinton said. "It's not a luxury."

Clinton previously discussed the water issue during previous debates and penned an op-ed for MSNBC. She is scheduled to return to the city March 6 to debate Democratic rival Bernie Sanders.

Her visit comes more than a year after her husband, former President Bill Clinton, came to Flint to deliver a roughly 30-minute speech at the Riverfront Banquet Center to stump for state Democratic candidates.

The city is in the national spotlight after elevated blood lead levels were discovered in some Flint children after the city changed its water source from Lake Huron water purchased from the Detroit water system to the Flint River in April 2014, a decision made while the city was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager.

State regulators never required that the river water be treated to make it less corrosive, causing lead from plumbing and pipes to leach into the water supply.

Even though the city reconnected to the Detroit water system in October, local and state officials have warned pregnant women and young children against using the water unless it has been tested because lead levels continue to exceed what can be handled by a filter.