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Noem Lied. Texans Died: The Flood Disaster They’re Trying to Bury [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-16
In the wake of catastrophic flash floods in Central Texas this July, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s version of events has diverged sharply from the facts on the ground. On NBC’s Meet the Press this past Sunday, Noem insisted that FEMA “acted swiftly” and that “calls for assistance” were answered. Yet multiple independent reports show the opposite: thousands of calls went unanswered when Noem allowed call-center contracts to lapse mid-crisis, and significant aid deployments were delayed pending her personal sign-off on expenses over $100,000 PoliticoHouston Chronicle.
The July 4 flash floods dumped up to 6.5 inches of rain in three hours across the Texas Hill Country, sending rivers surging more than 30 feet above normal and overwhelming local emergency services Wikipedia. More than 132 lives were lost, including dozens of children at Camp Mystic alone. Texas designated six counties for FEMA disaster declarations, but survivors reported frantic waits, unanswered calls, and patchwork state-led rescues while federal support sat idle StatesmanReuters.
Contradiction #1: Call Centers Left in the Dark.
Noem claimed her agency responded to “well over 99 percent” of incoming calls. In reality, a New York Times analysis found FEMA answered only 35.8 percent of calls on July 5 and 15.9 percent over the next two days after hundreds of call-center contractors were abruptly laid off — a decision Noem did not reverse until July 9 PoliticoHouston Chronicle. Thousands of flood survivors were effectively cut off, unable to register for emergency aid.
Contradiction #2: “Immediate” Approval vs. Red Tape Delays.
According to local officials, Noem’s new policy requiring her personal sign-off on any contract or grant above $100,000 created a fatal bottleneck. As costs mounted into the millions, critical rescue teams and contracting crews sat idle, awaiting her signature — signatures that in one case arrived five days after the disaster struck Houston ChroniclePolitico. Even Republican state leaders have quietly lamented that federal assistance was “not moving at the pace we expected” under the new approval regime.
The Invisible FEMA Director.
Adding to the confusion, Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson made only a single, unannounced public appearance — in jeans and a straw hat — on July 15, by which point most survivors had already given up hope of federal help Politico. Richardson’s low profile and refusal to take questions have fueled concerns that FEMA’s chain of command has effectively been transferred to the Homeland Security Secretary’s office, without any meaningful oversight.
Congressional Oversight Is Urgently Needed.
Bipartisan senators and representatives must hold hearings to get to the bottom of these failures. They need to:
Subpoena Noem and Richardson to explain the decision-making timeline for call-center contracts and expense approvals.
Review internal FEMA communications to determine who delayed aid and why.
Evaluate whether the Trump administration’s broader aim to “remake” FEMA into a leaner, state-centric agency has compromised its ability to respond to disasters The Guardian.
Without such scrutiny, future emergencies risk the same bureaucratic paralysis, and Texas survivors may pay the price again.
Don’t Let Headlines Bury This Story
While new revelations about Epstein, Putin, and Supreme Court rulings dominate the front pages, the human toll of the Texas floods cannot be sidelined. Each unanswered call was a family’s desperate plea; each delayed rescue an avoidable tragedy. If the media allows this issue to fade, they/we tacitly accept that disaster relief can be contingent on political whims.
We owe it to the victims — and to communities across flood/disaster prone America — to demand answers. Congress must convene hearings, insist on transparency, and ensure FEMA remains a rapid, reliable first responder. Otherwise, we risk turning every natural disaster into a political waiting game.
Let’s flood the Hill with calls, emails, and petitions until accountability is served. The Texas floods showed us what happens when politics get in the way of saving lives. Now, it’s on us to make sure it never happens again.
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