Environment News Service: More than 400,000 residents of Toledo, Ohio’s fourth largest city, are without water following the detection of the toxin Microcystin in the public water system, caused by an algal bloom in the area.On Saturday, Governor John Kasich, a Republican, declared a state of emergency for Lucas County, where Toledo is located, and neighboring Wood and Fulton counties. This declaration allows state government to maximize the use of its resources to support local authorities in addressing this situation. The state Emergency Operation Center was activated Saturday.
State and local officials are working together to arrange for drinking water to be shipped into the affected areas. Eleven water distribution sites at fire departments and schools are open today, the second day of the emergency, but residents must bring their own containers to most of them.
To date, 33,000 gallons of potable water have been produced by the Ohio National Guard, and 15,000 additional gallons in collapsible containers have been distributed along with 9,000 cases of water. Additional deliveries are arriving on a regular basis.
The American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio is activating volunteers to assist with bulk distribution of water. Water at retail stores has been restocked...
Toledo's skyline at Sunset, shot by Northern Magnolia, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
No comments:
Post a Comment