On the Ground in Flint: How We’re Partnering with the Community
By Micah Ragland, Associate Administrator for Public Engagement and Environmental Education
Five generations of my family have called Flint, Michigan home. We’re Flintstones. We work hard and we are some of the best and strongest people you will meet. I was born here, spent the first part of my childhood here and still have many friends and relatives who reside in the city. To me, Flint is more than just a popular news headline about a city coping with contaminated water. It is a community that I cherish, populated with people I love.
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Associate Administrator for Public Engagement and Environmental Education, I am charged with leading the agency’s outreach efforts and developing strategies that enable the EPA and the entire federal response team to form meaningful partnerships with the city, local community organizations and advocates. Since January 2016, I have worked out of EPA’s command post in Flint and have assisted the agency with outreach efforts to keep residents up to date on measures they should take to safeguard their health as the city’s water system continues to recover.
One of the most important lessons I have learned in this position is that true community outreach is not just about informing the public on an issue. Effective community outreach is a multi-tiered approach that involves frequent engagement, active listening and getting feedback from the community. With this approach, we can deliver responsive and adaptable actions that reflect the sentiments of the people being served.
Over the last several months, EPA has partnered with two local community organizations – Michigan Faith in Action and Flint Rising – on door-to-door canvassing operations. EPA staff has assisted volunteers from these organizations in developing canvassing materials, knocking on over 10,000 doors, having over 5,000 conversations, and passing out thousands of EPA fact sheets.
This allows us to listen and receive valuable feedback from community members. EPA has developed a portfolio of over 500 public locations such as places of worship, libraries, schools, daycare centers, elderly centers, barber shops, beauty salons, community centers, and neighborhood associations that agency staff visit throughout the week to hear firsthand from residents on their sentiments and concerns. EPA staff have made over 500 visits to approximately 450 of these locations throughout Flint.
As part of this effort, I have been working with the City of Flint, and the State of Michigan on our #FlushforFlint campaign to encourage residents to run water from their kitchen sinks and bathroom tubs for 5 minutes each day for 14 straight days during the month of May. Because if we can get more water flowing in the water system, it will help flush out additional lead particles in the system. The State of Michigan is paying for the program and credit will be added to residents’ water bills.
Our team is in Flint and we’re not leaving until we get the water system back on track and we’re confident that the needs of the community are being met because to me, this is about more than just water, this is about my family and building a new foundation for all of the strong and hard-working Flintstones I care so deeply about.
Learn more about our work at www.epa.gov/flint.
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May 05, 2016 @ 00:54:55
Our team is in Flint and we’re not leaving until we get the water system back on track and we’re confident that the needs of the community are being met.Our Associate Administrator for Public Engagement and Environmental Education, Micah Ragland, has been on the ground working with the community in Flint.
Tracy Adams
May 05, 2016 @ 01:45:45
Stay strong guys and keep spreading the help and the love. Hope the town gets through this one. Sending love
Tracy Adams
May 05, 2016 @ 01:50:10
Great job spreading the love and the hope to the town. I am sending my love and gratefulness do you all.
Utpatti
May 06, 2016 @ 05:20:29
Very nice article love to read it
Amyt Dev
May 08, 2016 @ 05:05:16
Good to seem people actually working for the world rather then just mumbling about how badly they wish they could help. Keep up the good work.
David
May 08, 2016 @ 05:06:16
Wawww really nice article.
Ricardo Mietti
May 09, 2016 @ 22:10:10
How nice, thanks for sharing with us ; )
Ricardo
Jasa-Seo
May 10, 2016 @ 11:01:19
great article…you must be one of a brilliant people
Riecky Pphoo
May 10, 2016 @ 11:02:15
great article…you must be one of a brilliant people
Remsun Debbarma
May 12, 2016 @ 03:18:59
Nice to see your content. Finally I can say there is something in the internet about the world.
Thanks to your blog
Dinesh
May 12, 2016 @ 13:06:24
Very Nice Article
Anonymous
May 12, 2016 @ 14:25:48
Hello, my name is Karen. I have been working for EPA in Washington, DC, for almost 30 years. My grandkids live in Flushing, Michigan, but attend church in Flint, Michigan. It was over a year ago that I visited my grandkids’ church in Flint, Michigan. My grand-daughter mentioned to me, after hearing about Flint’s water issue on the news, that she had noticed “MUDDY” water coming out of the faucet at the church OVER a year ago! I wish she had mentioned it to me then. I definitely would have brought it to the attention of EPA.
Utpatti
May 13, 2016 @ 07:50:39
Really it is a very nice article
Arturo Mendoza
May 15, 2016 @ 17:22:26
great article thanks for posting
piyush
May 16, 2016 @ 04:09:40
very informative Article thanks for the same
Jordan
May 16, 2016 @ 10:40:55
Very glad to see people organizing to help those in Flint. Here’s hoping your hard work leads to solutions that can help those living in places with water problems like this.
bantal mobil
May 22, 2016 @ 22:35:37
great article thanks for posting
Nathaniel
May 25, 2016 @ 16:58:21
It is ashtonishing that the water quality of an entire city can be brought to the ground in the city of Flint. Where were the checks and balances? What was being done when the first signs were seen? Most importantly how can this happen in the U. S. It pains me to see a population suffer with environmental uncertainty. Flint is not “just some city” it is a place where kids play and grow up to start families, there is no difference when compared to Ocala Florida, Buffalo New York or any other city at that. This is a real problem that can affect hundreds of people at any given time. Thank you to all those that helped and continue to strive for a finer Flint. Thank you.
Neeraj Choudhary
May 26, 2016 @ 17:56:33
very nice article, can i post it on my website. If you agree to it. thanks
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May 28, 2016 @ 03:36:10
Thank u for your informative article.
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Jun 01, 2016 @ 05:02:26
This permits us to listen and get profitable input from group individuals. EPA has built up an arrangement of more than 500 open areas, for example, spots of love, libraries, schools.
Maxi Pesta Muslim Murah
Jun 13, 2016 @ 01:17:42
I just now read this post, very great informasion thanks for sharing
Ivan Petrov
Jun 16, 2016 @ 08:19:32
Great job spreading the love and the hope to the town. I am sending my love and gratefulness do you all.
Ivan Petrov
Jun 16, 2016 @ 08:20:33
Nice to see your content. Finally I can say there is something in the internet about the world.
Thanks to your blog
Forsinket Fly
Jul 04, 2016 @ 07:10:30
Very nice Article
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Jul 16, 2016 @ 08:39:02
I just now read this post, very great informasion thanks for sharing
Sipepito.com
Aug 26, 2016 @ 00:19:09
Very glad to see people organizing to help those in Flint.Nice to see your content. Finally I can say there is something in the internet about the world.
Thanks to your blog