DNYUZ
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Television
    • Theater
    • Gaming
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
DNYUZ
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Noem Defends FEMA Response to Texas Floods

July 13, 2025
in News
Noem Defends FEMA Response to Texas Floods
493
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, defended the federal government’s response on Sunday to catastrophic flooding in Texas that left more than 120 dead. She dismissed as “absolutely false” reports that recent policy changes slowed the deployment of critical disaster aid.

In an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Ms. Noem denied that a new policy requiring her personal approval for contracts larger than $100,000 had left Federal Emergency Management Agency call centers understaffed for days after floodwaters swept through Texas’s Hill Country on July 4 and 5. The New York Times reported that on July 6 and 7, thousands of calls to the agency went unanswered because hundreds of contractors had been fired when their contracts lapsed on July 5.

“False reporting, fake news,” Ms. Noem said.

Experts and current and former FEMA employees have said the agency was slow to deploy response and search-and-rescue coordination teams. But Ms. Noem insisted that FEMA, which is a part of the Department of Homeland Security, had responded to the Texas flooding better than it had to any other disaster in “many, many years” and dismissed claims to the contrary as attacks by the Trump administration’s political opponents.

“What is really unfortunate is we have a situation where so many individuals are playing politics with what happened to Texas,” she said.

Representative Chip Roy, a Republican who represents parts of Texas hit hardest by the floods, appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” decried “all the finger-pointing that the media wants to point to” and said the focus should instead be on the “heroism” of emergency responders and local officials.

Other Republicans in Texas and Washington have brushed aside questions about how the federal and state governments have responded to the flood. During a visit to Texas on Friday, President Trump said that “only a very evil person” would ask about reports that flood alerts weren’t sent out earlier and that people died as a result. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas dismissed a question last Tuesday about whether he would call for an investigation into the flooding, saying that asking about blame was “the word choice of losers.”

For people hit hardest by disasters, FEMA can provide a critical safety net in the immediate aftermath. Calls to the agency can help connect survivors with different kinds of assistance, including a one-time payment of $750 available for people who lost their homes, to help cover basic and immediate needs.

According to documents reviewed by The Times, as Texans began to grapple with damage wrought by the flood, on July 5, FEMA answered more than 99 percent of the 3,027 calls it received. Contractors for four companies at call centers picked up the vast majority of them.

The next day, after contracts with the companies lapsed, FEMA answered only 36 percent of the 2,363 calls that came in, the documents say. And on July 7, FEMA answered only 16 percent of the 16,419 calls.

FEMA’s future is uncertain. In the early days of his second term, Mr. Trump said he wanted it to “go away.” He described it as plagued by inefficiency and bloat and said that states, not FEMA, should lead disaster response. But the administration’s tone has shifted in the days since the disaster, and officials are suggesting that the agency be reformed and improved.

Ms. Noem, who said in March that she was going to “eliminate” FEMA, struck a softer note on NBC. Asked about the president’s intention for the agency, she said she believed he would like it “remade” and to be “new in how it deploys.”

The post Noem Defends FEMA Response to Texas Floods appeared first on New York Times.

Share197Tweet123Share
Search ends for those missing after Yemen’s Houthi rebels sink ship in Red Sea
News

Search ends for those missing after Yemen’s Houthi rebels sink ship in Red Sea

by Associated Press
July 13, 2025

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The search for those missing after Yemen’s Houthi rebels has ended as at least ...

Read more
News

‘Extra’ Sees Layoffs Ahead Of Season 32

July 13, 2025
News

Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, says he will seek eighth presidential term

July 13, 2025
Crime

Trump says ‘American spirit’ triumphs over ‘forces of evil’ on anniversary of Butler assassination attempt

July 13, 2025
News

Arizona police officers deliver pizza to shocked customer after arresting Grubhub driver: ‘Should still be warm’

July 13, 2025
Shaikin: Why it makes sense the Angels picked Tyler Bremner at No. 2 in MLB draft

Shaikin: Why it makes sense the Angels picked Tyler Bremner at No. 2 in MLB draft

July 13, 2025
Big Tech feels the heat as finfluencers run riot

Big Tech feels the heat as finfluencers run riot

July 13, 2025
Bulls Receive Concerning Josh Giddey Free Agency Report

Bulls Receive Concerning Josh Giddey Free Agency Report

July 13, 2025

Copyright © 2025.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

Copyright © 2025.