A chemical spill in the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia affected hundreds of thousands of people and shut down much of the state capital and surrounding counties. The U.S. federal government joined the state Friday in declaring a disaster. In requesting the federal declaration, which makes the state eligible for federal emergency aid, West Virginia officials said about 100,000 customers, or about 300,000 people in total, were affected. After Thursday's spill from Freedom Industries hit the river, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin ordered customers of West Virginia American Water not to drink, bathe, cook, or wash clothes with tap water. The state's National Guard planned to distribute bottled water to emergency services agencies in nine affected counties. The cause of the spill is unclear, and the type of chemical or chemicals that reached the river has not been announced.
