West Virginia residents may wait days to get water back

Five days after a chemical spill polluted the Elk River in West Virginia, some 300,000 people in nine counties remain without water for drinking, washing, and cooking. Several dozen people have sought treatment for nausea, rashes, and other symptoms at local hospitals. Businesses and schools remain closed, Voice of Russia reported. State and federal authorities are investigating the cause and continuing impact of the estimated 7,500-gallon spill of the industrial chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol. Officials say it’s likely to be days before public water supplies are declared safe enough for anything other than flushing toilets or firefighting. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has declared a state of emergency for the nine counties, which includes the state capital of Charleston, the state's largest city. President Obama has issued an emergency declaration. It could still be several days before people in nine counties and Charleston can once again use the water from their faucets for drinking, cooking and bathing.