Catching Up: Texas Flood Response Hampered by FEMA Overhaul Efforts

FEMA operations faced significant delays in deploying search and rescue teams, largely attributed to budget restrictions and attempts to scale back or eliminate FEMA.

Terrence Dorsey

Jul 13, 2025

Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times

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Date: July 10-13, 2025
Topic: Texas Flood Response Hampered by FEMA Overhaul Efforts
Summary: Catastrophic floods in Central Texas, particularly Kerr County, have resulted in over 120 deaths and scores missing, prompting scrutiny of disaster response. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operations faced significant delays in deploying search and rescue teams and answering survivor calls, largely attributed to new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending restrictions requiring Secretary Kristi Noem’s personal approval for expenses over $100,000. These issues align with the Trump administration’s broader vision to dramatically scale back FEMA’s federal role, shifting more responsibility and costs to states, and include proposed budget cuts to weather science and disaster preparedness programs. Simultaneously, local Kerr County officials are facing questions regarding the timing and reach of their emergency alert systems.

Sources

Key Points

Delayed Federal Response: Multiple articles highlight significant delays in FEMA’s deployment of search and rescue teams and its ability to answer calls from flood survivors in Texas. This delay is largely attributed to new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rules requiring Secretary Kristi Noem’s personal approval for expenditures over $100,000.
Administration’s Vision for FEMA: The Trump administration aims to dramatically scale back FEMA’s federal role, shifting more responsibility and costs for disaster response and recovery to state and local governments. This includes proposed budget cuts and a general “reforming” or “overhauling” of the agency.
Impact on Disaster Preparedness: Beyond immediate response, the administration’s policies are seen as diluting the country’s overall ability to anticipate and prepare for extreme weather events, through staff reductions and budget cuts to critical agencies like the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Local Communication Failures: Local officials in Kerr County, Texas, are facing intense scrutiny for their perceived lack of timely and widespread emergency alerts, with questions raised about the effectiveness of their warning systems and public communication.
High Death Toll: The floods resulted in over 120 deaths, with a significant number of fatalities at summer camps, making it one of the deadliest disasters in Texas history.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times (July 11): Provides specific data on unanswered calls to FEMA’s disaster assistance line, noting that on July 6, only 35.8% of 2,363 calls were answered, and on July 7, only 15.9% of 16,419 calls were answered. It also details that hundreds of contractors were fired on July 5 after their contracts expired and were not renewed by Secretary Noem until July 10.
The New York Times (July 13): Elaborates on the broader implications of Trump’s proposed budget cuts, including closing 10 NOAA laboratories (for example, Miami’s “hurricane hunters” lab), major cuts to a federal program using river gauges, and halving funding for NASA’s Earth science. It also quotes Mary Ann Tierney, former acting deputy secretary of DHS, stating, “We are not witnessing a reimagining of federal disaster response — we are watching its demolition.”
CNN: Specifies that multiple urban search and rescue teams were not deployed by FEMA until at least Monday evening, days after any victim had been found alive. It contrasts this with previous flash flood responses, where FEMA mobilized teams within hours (Kentucky 2025, Vermont 2023). The article also names specific task forces activated (Indiana, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Missouri Task Force 1s).
NBC News (As questions mount over Texas floods, a key decision-maker remains silent): Focuses heavily on the silence and lack of public communication from Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly and emergency management coordinator William “Dub” Thomas, despite their critical roles. It highlights that the county did not have a siren warning system and that the CodeRed system relies on opt-in subscriptions, leading to inconsistent message reception.
NBC News (FEMA records show Kerr County didn’t alert all cellphones as flooding began): Reveals, based on FEMA records, that Kerr County officials did not use FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) to send warnings to all cellphones in the affected area on July 4, even though the National Weather Service sent an IPAWS flood warning. It notes that Kerr County had used IPAWS for flooding alerts in July 2024.
The Washington Post (Trump administration moves away from abolishing FEMA): Reports that White House officials are now hedging on “abolishing” FEMA, suggesting changes will likely amount to a “rebranding” emphasizing state leadership. It also cites polling data showing high public support for a “major role” for the federal government in disaster aid.
The Washington Post (Budget limits at DHS delayed FEMA’s Texas deployment, officials say): Provides specific examples of services hampered by the $100,000 approval rule, including contracts for call centers, housing inspectors, and IT support. It also mentions that FEMA had to create a new “tiger” data team to work around the restriction and process requests more quickly.
The Wall Street Journal: Details President Trump’s visit to Texas, where he praised the response efforts and took a “victory lap” for a restructured disaster response. It uniquely mentions Trump calling a reporter “an evil person” for asking about flood warnings, and the attendance of TV personality Dr. Phil at a roundtable with the President. It also provides mixed reviews from local residents regarding the federal response.

Contrasting Details

Effectiveness of Federal Response:
- Administration’s View: President Trump and Secretary Noem praised the response, stating FEMA was “fixed up in no time” (The Wall Street Journal) and that the “federal response was ‘incredible’” (The Wall Street Journal). A DHS spokesperson claimed the response was “instantaneous” and “surged into unprecedented action” (CNN).
- FEMA Officials/Critics' View: Current and former FEMA employees, as well as disaster experts, stated that the agency’s ability to fully respond was significantly delayed and hampered by new restrictions (The Washington Post - “Budget limits at DHS,” The New York Times - “FEMA Didn’t Answer”). They noted that search and rescue teams took days to deploy, not hours (CNN, The Washington Post - “Budget limits at DHS”), and that FEMA was “48 to 72 hours behind where it would be” (The Wall Street Journal).
Local Alert System Use:
- National Weather Service Actions: The National Weather Service sent an IPAWS flood warning to phones as early as 1:14 a.m. on July 4 (NBC News - “FEMA records show”).
- Kerr County Actions: FEMA records show that Kerr County did not send any wireless alerts through IPAWS on July 4, when the flooding began (NBC News - “FEMA records show”). While some residents received CodeRed alerts, this system requires opting in and messages were often delayed (NBC News - “FEMA records show,” NBC News - “As questions mount”). County Judge Rob Kelly stated, “We didn’t know this flood was coming” and “We do not have a warning system” (NBC News - “As questions mount”), despite the NWS warning.

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