Barack Obama

President Barack Obama speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(Jacquelyn Martin)

FLINT, MI - President Barack Obama will visit Flint next week to hear first-hand about the city's water crisis.

A White House official confirmed Wednesday, April 27, that the president will visit the city Wednesday, May 4, to hear first-hand from residents about the city's health crisis and receive an in-person briefing on the federal efforts in place to help respond to the need of Flint residents.

Obama also plans to deliver remarks to community members.

Further details on the visit have not been released.

The president confirmed his visit in a response to a letter written to him by an 8-year-old Flint girl.

Mari Copeny wrote a March 14 letter to Obama telling the president that she has been affected by the city's water problems and traveled to Washington, D.C., to hear congressional testimony on the water crisis.

She requested a meeting with the president during her visit.

"My mom said chances are you will be to (sic) busy with more important things but there is a lot of people coming on these buses and even just a meeting from you or your wife would really lift peoples spirits," Mari wrote.

Obama responded in an April 25 letter telling Mari she was the first to know about his upcoming visit.

"I thank President Obama for keeping the focus on Flint families affected by the city's water crisis and I look forward to welcoming the President to my hometown," said U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp.

"All Americans should be focused on the ongoing public health emergency. A city of 100,000 people continues to not have safe drinking water and has been exposed to high levels of lead," he added. "As a nation, and as Americans, we must come together to help Flint families recover from this terrible tragedy."

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 run by a state-appointed emergency manager.

State regulators didn't require the river water be treated to make it less corrosive, causing lead from plumbing and pipes to leach into the water supply.

Though the city reconnected to the Detroit water system in October, officials say the city's water system still has lead levels above federal standards.

Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders each visited the city due to the water crisis, and the city has played host to a Democratic presidential debate after the issue gained national attention.