National Guard troops have been sent to Flint by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder as part of the ‘response efforts’ over the lead-poisoning crisis the city of 100,000 residents, located 60 miles north of Detroit, is facing.

Moreover, the governor has asked for support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to organize an interagency recovery plan with other federal agencies for providing resources to Flint.

On Wednesday, some Guardsmen reached Flint and provided help at the fire stations designated as ‘water resources sites’ for handing out bottled water and lead filters to residents. According to Snyder’s office, there will be over 30 National Guard personnel functioning in the city by Friday.

The lead poisoning of Flint’s population has been directly caused due to cost-cutting measures executed irresponsibly by the state-installed emergency manager. The ‘EM’ served for the jurisdiction of an antidemocratic system that was particularly thrown out in 2011 by Michigan votes in a ballot referendum. The situation residents are facing today has made the public, both in and outside Flint, enraged at the actions done by state and local authorities.

The motive behind the presence of troops is dubious as there are speculations that the city is aimed at deterring public protests against the Republican governor and his local Democratic Party accomplices the culprits for poisoning city residents.

There are certain immediate symptoms, including impaired function of internal organs, headaches, anemia and dental problems, that the children who have got lead poisoned can face. Adults can suffer from weakening of teeth and bones, hair loss, skin disorders, and seizures in worst cases.

The system has no cure for exposure to lead and no safe exposure level. Lifelong learning and behavioral disorders can happen. Lead poisoning could affect multiple generations.