Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not authorize the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency urban search-and-rescue teams in the Texas Hill Country flood disaster until more than 72 hours after the crisis began, CNN reported on Wednesday.
This follows rule changes that Noem imposed at her department that required a personal sign-off on any operation with an expense over $100,000, a figure so tiny it practically applies to any response to a significant emergency.
"In the past, FEMA would have swiftly staged these teams, which are specifically trained for situations including catastrophic floods, closer to a disaster zone in anticipation of urgent requests, multiple agency sources told CNN," reported Gabe Cohen and Michael Williams. However, "even as Texas rescue crews raced to save lives, FEMA officials realized they needed Noem’s approval before sending those additional assets."
"Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN," the report continued.
The flood, which swept away campers around the city of Kerrville in a notoriously flood-prone area of the Texas Hill Country, left over 100 people dead, including dozens of children, and nearly 200 missing. The death toll is already higher than the number of people who typically die from hurricanes in an entire year in the United States.
This follows earlier reporting that, although the National Weather Service sent out warnings to affected communities, President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency task force pushed out a key person in charge of making sure disaster warnings are adequately heard.
State and local officials also face questions about why they did not fund an emergency siren system for flooding around the affected parts of the Guadalupe River, a safety precaution that exists in many other high-risk areas.