Transcripts For WABC Nightline 20160123 : vimarsana.com

Their pets on pills. And the first major blizzard of 2016 is slamming the east coast. An allout winter whiteout across 19 states. More than 80 million americans are in the storms already deadly path. Power outages, canceled flights, and potentially historic snowfall. But first the nightline 5. I love rudys smile. So i give him these milk bone brushing chews. Its a treat thats proven to clean as well as a toothbrush to help keep his teeth and gums clean and healthy. This is my favorite. Say it with milk bone. When heartburn hits, fight back fast. Tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. Smoothies only from tums. Seco were out of bud light. Beer run . No. Minibar delivery. Female anchor get the golden can and you could go to superbowl 50. Sfx door bell beers here cheering jb smoove . Were going to the super bowl order bud light with Minibar Delivery good evening. Its a Public Health crisis of massive proportions. Lead in the water supply in flint, michigan. People breaking out in rashes, losing hair. The doctor who sounded the alarm was ignored. But not anymore. Abcs alex perez is following the investigation in flint tonight. Three, two, one reporter it was supposed to be a moment of triumph. Cheers erupted as the thenmayor of flint, michigan, officially turned off the water feed from detroit. Heres to flint hear, hear reporter and began pulling its supply from the local flint river. Little did they know that this costcutting move would have devastating consequences. Cheaper than detroit but about at what cost . Health, people dropping over clean water reporter now almost two years later, flint is in a state of federal emergency. Our children should not have to be worried about the water that theyre drinking in american cities. Thats not something that we should accept. Reporter president obama releasing 80 million in aid to michigan to help flint repair its water infrastructure. As National Guards continue to cart in thousands of bottles of water and filters. But on that day back in april 2014, as the mayor pressed the button, no one knew what they had put into action. Just weeks after the complaints began pouring in about discolored and foulsmelling water running from the taps. Mysterious ailments. This 2yearold would become the face of this public crisis, suffering severe rashes, hair loss. At the time his mother had no idea what it was. She was not alone. My son jordan, hes been in with rash all over his body from the water. Today we went in for high fever, cramping, sore throat reporter mothers like brandy luck were starting to turn up at Emergency Rooms all over flint. Jaden was seen today for a severely sore throat, very swollen, very red. Reporter longtime residents jacob and his wife had taken to bathing their Young Children with bottled water. You hear of all these legionnaires disease or the dermatitis. All these Different Things that are happening more and more frequently. Nobodys accountable. No ones been prosecuted. No ones served a penalty for this. Except for the people of the city of flint. Reporter for almost two years complaints from the city of 100,000 residents went unanswered. But independent test results were beginning to provide a chilling answer. Water. The lead is an irreversible neuro toxin. Once it is in your body the damage is done. Reporter this doctor, director of pediatrics at Hurley Medical Center in flint, was one of the first to sound the alarm. What we noticed was that after the water switch, the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels doubled in the city of flint. In some neighborhoods it tripled. Reporter when she released her findings in september 2015 right away we were attacked. We were told we were wrong, that we were unfortunate researchers, that we were causing hysteria. Reporter two weeks later officials could no longer ignore the signs and officially declared the water unsafe. This week the fallout. As over 270 pages of internal emails and documents came to light. Its a damning look into how officials ignored blatant warning signs. Some of those signs were uncovered by this man, epa investigator miguel del toro. Happen in the first place. Reporter he was one of the first to warn about lead in the water after resident Leann Walters called in a complaint in early 2015. Del toro went to her house to test the water. What she found was extremely high levels of lead in the tap water. Water that he said was causing walters childrens hair to fall out in clumps. I think that if it werent for leann, this may have gone a lot longer. Reporter after talking to the state department of Environmental Quality del toro made another stunning discovery. The river water being fed into the taps was not being treated with anticorrosion agent, as required by law. Inconceivable that you would allow a system with lead service lines, a large system, not to have the treatment in place. Reporter in the spring of 2015, del toro warned the agency that the state was understating the lead levels in the citys water. Writing in a memo, staffers have essentially downplayed or ignored warning signs. And that the whole town may have much higher lead levels than the you give them that warning, seems like they blew you off. Did they not know what theyre doing . I dont know what their decision process was on this. Reporter internal memos show state officials dismissed multiple warnings, spending months denying the lead contamination until october of last year. Sad to see whats happened there. Shouldnt have happened . Shouldnt have happened. Reporter when dan wine, director of the department of Environmental Quality, wrote in an email, i believe now weve made a mistake, Corrosion Control should have been required from the beginning. Admission met with public anger in a city where more than 40 live below the poverty line. Residents are asking if theyre being left behind. If this was a highly generated economy and it was booming here, then yeah, it wouldnt have made it past three months. Reporter flints water supply has since reverted back to detroits lake huron but the damage has been done. An independent task force conducted a review of the crisis and found the deqs response to the public to be one of aggressive dismissal, belittlement, and attempts to discredit these efforts. The head of the epas Regional Office in chicago which covers michigan has resigned after Governor Rick Snyder officially apologized to the residents of flint. I say tonight as i have before, i am sorry and i will fix it. Reporter the apology coming just hours after attorneys filed a Class Action Lawsuit against the governor and state and city officials. Dr. Hannah says apologies dont mean that much to a mother wondering what will happen to her child. Shes traumatized about the cons consequences of lead. But theyre also traumatized about what theyve been through the last two years. An entire betrayal of governmental agencies. Reporter or to a city that will have to live with the consequences. You expect when you turn on your water, you expect it to be drinkable. And youve been told for almost two years that its safe. So theres significant trauma in instill hope. Reporter for nightline, im alex peres, flint, michigan. Coming up, could antidepressants be the next big thing in the Animal Kingdom . Why more pet owners are turning to pills for their fourlegged friends. Theres something in the air. But heres the thing about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. Well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain or adempas for pulmonary hypertension. Your Blood Pressure could drop to an unsafe level. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. Ask your doctor. About viagra. How much protein does your dog food have . 18 . 20 . Nutrientdense purina one true instinct with real salmon and tuna has 30 protein. Support your active dogs whole body health with purina one. Look, the wolf was huffing and puffing. Like you do sometimes, grandpa . Well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. It can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. So i talked to my doctor. She said. Symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. Symbicort doesnt replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. Symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. Symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It should not be taken more than twice a day. Symbicort contains formoterol. Medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. Symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. You should tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure symbicort could mean a day with better breathing. Watch out, piggies children giggle symbicort. Breathe better starting within 5 minutes. Call or go online to learn more about a free trial offer. If you cant afford your medication, our next item is a genuine name your price tool. This highly soughtafter device from progressive can be yours for. Twenty grand . No we are giving it away for just 3 easy payments of 4. 99 plus tax the lines are blowing up weve got deborah from poughkeepsie. Flo yeah, no, its flo. You guys realize anyone can use the name your price tool for free on progressive. Com, right . [ laughing nervously ] [ pickles whines ] i know, its like theyre always on television. Speaking as a brandnew puppy owner labradoodle, thanks its easy to obsess over your pets making sure they have the best food, snow boots, and behind the ear scratches. Isnt enough . For overanxious, highly stressed pets, some pet owners say antidepressants could be the answer. Heres abcs david wright. Reporter at the end of her work day, morgan hates to keep her partner waiting. Racing out the door, running to get the subway. Reporter its not so much that hes legal just, he just misses her more than he should. There is a part of me that feels guilty just because i know that when he gets stressed, he is very distraught. And its hard to watch. Reporter unconditional love isnt always healthy. Hi oh i know, i know. I know, its okay. Reporter morgan accepts that about hachi, a puppy who suffers from a very real, very human disorder. Separation anxiety. Hachi digs at the floor. And he digs at the door. He bites the molding. This is reallial in an effort to reporter and like an anxious human, theres powerful medicine that can help. Thats right. This melancholy mutt is on doggy antidepress ants, a sort of prozac for puppies. Hachi isnt alone. Nearly 3 million dogs in the u. S. Are on antianxiety meds right now. Lets not even get into cats. The problem is that just like with us, we often turn to the drugs as the first line of treating the problem. I think thats a mistake. Reporter researcher and writer laurel brakeman, author of animal madness, says our pets have deeper emotional lives than most of us give their credit for. What sort of emotional complexity is there for a dog . We like to think that the dog is wagging its tail because hes happy to see you when you come home. When part of you sits back, maybe its just because hes hungry. Were like that too. Wide receiver i happy when we sit down in a restaurant because were about to eat . Or because were with good friends . Its safe to say that other animals, particularly dogs can fearful. Reporter in a world of pampered pooches wheres the line between compassionate concern and fullblown crazy . Its so exciting, look reporter in legally blonde, el woods was too present for her dog. Or how about best in show. Go to the hotel and get busy bee my name is an marie and this is albert einstein. Reporter for ann marie its not about pampering her pooch. Shes worried about alberts mental health. I might take him for a walk, hes so nervous he looks from right to left, his tail is down. Yes, you can do it hell just stop and freeze. Just be trembling very, very strongly. I mean, it makes you want to be able to give him a drink or something. Reporter after a series of failed behavioral treatments,al lert was diagnosed with extreme anxiety. And the vet prescribed prozac. Helped people. And i knew albert really needed help. Reporter but that diagnosis wasnt cheap. Therapies and treatment costing upwards of 5,000. In fact, consumers nationwide are estimated to spend more than 7 billion on pet meds every year. More than ever before. Ready . Come on, lets go. Lets go. Reporter we joined albetter for a walk in nearby central park. Come on. Albert, he thinks we should be going home. He doesnt want to go away from home. Reporter check out his body language. You see how his tail is down . Thats not a happy dog. Were going to present our closed fist with treat reporter across town hachi is meeting with trainer erika. Thats what you were looking for, okay. Reporter the prozac gives him extra little help to succeed, according to his owners. You still have to do the behavior modification, you still have to be extremely diligent and dedicated. Because prozacs not going to solve the problem. Reporter morgan and jason panic attack. Hes been alone for five hours. Hes pacing. And now hes whining. Hes clearly stressed. Reporter this video, watch as hachi opens the refrigerator door. Thats not half as bad as what he can get. And thats, you know, thats very stressful. Hes howling even with his head in the refrigerator. Poor thing. Heartbreaking, isnt it . Heartbreaking. Its so sad. He definitely has separation anxiety. And perhaps he could benefit from medicine. Reporter prescription pad pet ownership isnt for everyone. I also adopted my dog through best friends. Reporter sabi is a rescue dog from a war zone. I met him on assignment in lebanon back in 2006. This dog was owned by a saudi family who was here on vacation in beirut when the war broke out. They left, gave the dog to the put him on the street. Everybodys different but i wouldnt dream of giving my dog prozac and hes been through a war zone. Reporter erika, the trainer, says its not for everyone. This is a brainaltering medication. Thats a really scary thing. Do i want to alter my dogs brain . Yes, when it causes him so much fear and anxiety that he has to dig at a door and try to let himself out. I think that the medication is oftentimes a lastditch effort before bringing a dog or a cat to the pound. So if you use medication as a way of keep an animal in a home, its a fantastic final option. Reporter at least for now the drugs are working for hachi. Its tremendously helped. Prior to putting him on this medication, he could not be alone for more than two hours. Now the seven, eight hour mark. Reporter albert, while skittish, is finally able to make it around central park. Okay, all right. Reporter a spoonful of sugar good boy. Reporter and perhaps a dab medicine go down and helping the whole family relax. Im david wright for nightline in new york. Still to come, the first bigtime blizzard of the year pummeling the east coast. Gearing up for the snowpocalypse. And when her stepson went missing, she faced public scrutiny. For the first time shes sharing her side of the story. People can say what they want about me. My purpose is to find my son. Huh. Introducing centrum vitamints. A brand new multivitamin you enjoy like a mint. With a full spectrum of essential nutrients. Surprisingly smooth, refreshingly cool. I see you found the vitamints. A delicious new way to get your multivitamins. Ill be right back. Be good. Text mom. Boys have been really good today. Send. Lets get mark his own cell phone. Nice. Send. Brad could use a new bike. Send. [siri ] message. You decide. Theyre your kids. Why are you guys texting grandma . It was him. It was him. Keep your family connected. Appconnect. On the newly redesigned passat. Its not about hugging trees. Its not about being wasteful either. You just gotta find that balance. Takes care of more than just yourself. Lease a 2016 lincoln mkz for 289 a month tonight a storm of Epic Proportions is slamming the east coast, and we are in the heart of it. A friendly and frozen welcome to abcs eva pilgrim as she joins our broadcast from philadelphia for the first time. Reporter winter may have come late this year for the east coast but tonight it is coming out swinging. A massive blizzard spreading across several states. An onslaught that shows no signs of letting up any time soon. Here in philadelphia in our storm chaser suv the snow is coming down at a steady clip, making the roads sloshy and slightly slippery. The Police Lights you see are removing cars along these emergency routes so they can get plowed eded eded eded plows in to clear these roads. Muns of car crashes and three deaths have been reported in the region so far. In tennessee people pushing cars off the road slick with snow and ice. Governors up and down the eastern seaboard are declaring dont go on the roads. Reporter urging people to stay home unless they absolutely need to go out. Washington, d. C. Could get up to 30 inches of snow, which would make this the biggest snowfall in 90 years. The city closing businesses and even Public Transportation to deal with the crisis. Airports are full of stranded travelers tonight, with more than 8,000 Flights Canceled throughout the weekend. Earlier today, Grocery Stores were packed with lastminute preppers. And weather forecasters showing the worst may be yet to come with predictions of increasingly heavy winds and many more inches of snow for the northeast tonight. For nightline, eva pilgrim, philadelphia. Finally tonight, a look ahead. It was a missing persons case that captivated the country. 7yearold kyron horman disappeared seemingly without a trace from his Oregon Elementary School in 2010. Since that day his stepmother, under a cloud of suspicion