New York Times: FEMA Let Texans Drown While Calls Went Unanswered

[Conservative from Georgia]

Looks like Trump’s grand plan to “phase out FEMA” hit a brick wall…or maybe a raging flood. When Texas went under, FEMA couldn’t even pick up the phone: “nearly two‑thirds of calls” went unanswered two days after the flood hit. Turns out cutting staff and defunding emergency services isn’t just bold…it’s deadly.

And yet, Trump swooped in July 11, patting himself on the back, praising himself for doing what he just approved two days . Meanwhile, his Homeland Security sidekick Kristi Noem slapped a four-day “approval rule” on flood funds while she paused to choose her Insta portrait . Nothing says leadership like delaying rescue crews until you nail down the perfect selfie lighting.

So go ahead, Trump supporters—feel free to keep parroting “big government bad.” Just remember: when your money’s on the line, you love federal aid. When the chips are down, you beg and beg—and then mock anyone who dares ask why your “drain the swamp” hero let FEMA drown on his watch.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/climate/fema-missed-calls-texas-floods.html

 

[shockedcanadian]

Looks like Trump’s grand plan to “phase out FEMA” hit a brick wall…or maybe a raging flood. When Texas went under, FEMA couldn’t even pick up the phone: “nearly two‑thirds of calls” went unanswered two days after the flood hit. Turns out cutting staff and defunding emergency services isn’t just bold…it’s deadly.

And yet, Trump swooped in July 11, patting himself on the back, praising himself for doing what he just approved two days . Meanwhile, his Homeland Security sidekick Kristi Noem slapped a four-day “approval rule” on flood funds while she paused to choose her Insta portrait . Nothing says leadership like delaying rescue crews until you nail down the perfect selfie lighting.

So go ahead, Trump supporters—feel free to keep parroting “big government bad.” Just remember: when your money’s on the line, you love federal aid. When the chips are down, you beg and beg—and then mock anyone who dares ask why your “drain the swamp” hero let FEMA drown on his watch.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/climate/fema-missed-calls-texas-floods.html

Are you suggesting people didnt answer phones to send a political message? I would hope not.

 

[BackAgain]

Fake conservative allegedly from Georgia shares bullshit leftist propaganda from the ny slimes.

 

[Oddball]

And just what was FEMA supposed to do about it!

 

[excalibur]

And just what was FEMA supposed to do about it!

The OP is a fairy tale for children. Which is what the average leftoid is, a child.

 

[John Edgar Slow Horses]

We need more sources and evidence for the OP.

 

[Conservative from Georgia]

BackAgain

And just what was FEMA supposed to do about it!

Oh I don’t know… maybe answer the damn phone when people are literally calling for help while their homes are underwater? Or was FEMA just supposed to send “thoughts and prayers” via voicemail? I guess under Trump’s leadership, the new emergency protocol is “press 1 to drown with dignity”

 

[excalibur]

BackAgain

Oh I don’t know… maybe answer the damn phone when people are literally calling for help while their homes are underwater? Or was FEMA just supposed to send “thoughts and prayers” via voicemail? I guess under Trump’s leadership, the new emergency protocol is “press 1 to drown with dignity”

FEMA doesn't show until after disaster hits.

They can't stop a flood, you do comprehend that, don't you?

 

[Muhammed]

And just what was FEMA supposed to do about it!

They could have brought umbrellas.

 

[Conservative from Georgia]

FEM

FEMA doesn't show until after disaster hits.

They can't stop a flood, you do comprehend that, don't you?

A doesn't show until after disaster hits.

They can't stop a flood, you do comprehend that, don't you?

Strawman. Nobody is criticizing FEMA for not “stopping the flood”. The article says in the first paragraph that survivors needed assistance and were ignored.
Residents reported property damage, requested temporary housing and debris removal, and asked about restoring utilities…a flood’s fallout doesn’t end in 48 hours.



#FAIL
G

 

[Dr. Phosphorous]

Fake conservative allegedly from Georgia shares bullshit leftist propaganda from the ny slimes.

Poor MAGA cry baby....anything that exposes MAGA incompetence is a "lie".

You all hate government.....a major reason why you all suck at government.

 

[BackAgain]

BackAgain

Oh I don’t know… maybe answer the damn phone when people are literally calling for help while their homes are underwater? Or was FEMA just supposed to send “thoughts and prayers” via voicemail? I guess under Trump’s leadership, the new emergency protocol is “press 1 to drown with dignity”

Hey, troll. We get it. You dislike our President. But when Potato didn’t do shit for the folks in Asheville, NC after the hurricane and flooding, shitbags like you don’t much care. You shallow hypocrite.

People staffing the weather forecasting stations don’t (usually) go out to help natural disaster victims. First responders do — to the extent they can. Not easy in a raging flood zone.

You’re a pisspoor propagandist wannabe.

 

[Dr. Phosphorous]

Hey, troll. We get it. You dislike our President. But when Potato didn’t do shit for the folks in Asheville, NC after the hurricane and flooding, shitbags like you don’t much care. You shallow hypocrite.

People staffing the weather forecasting stations don’t (usually) go out to help natural disaster victims. First responders do — to the extent they can. Not easy in a raging flood zone.

You’re a pisspoor propagandist wannabe.

You deranged MAGA ***** didn't even think what happened in Asheville was real.

 

[Dr. Phosphorous]

We need more sources and evidence for the OP.

Imbecile Kristi Noem directed that she personally approve all emergency purchases over $100,000....which is basically every ******* purchase during a natural disaster.

Her incompetence ensured a very slow FEMA response.



From the Washington Post. --

Two days before torrential rains turned the Guadalupe River into a raging flood, a veteran official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Washington Post that one of the main concerns for this disaster season was the agency’s ability to quickly deploy specialized search and rescue teams. The Trump administration’s new rules mean disaster specialists can no longer “make decisions” on their own.

The official then watched it happen in real time in Texas.

Deployments of critical resources, such as tactical and specialized search and rescue teams, were delayed as a result of a budget restriction requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem to approve every purchase, contract and grant over $100,000, according to a dozen current and former FEMA employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

When rapidly responding to billion-dollar disasters, that “is basically everything,” said one current official.

Other efforts by the administration to constrain spending have hampered FEMA’s operations, officials said, which is likely to make it harder for the agency to be proactive during what is predicted to be a busy disaster season.

Multiple former officials and current employees say that several contracts with companies that provide crucial services for disaster response have run out or are about to lapse and have not yet been extended. And the agency has created work-arounds to get money out the door more quickly, according to documents reviewed by The Post.

DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the department had decentralized some of FEMA’s functions, but that these changes had not undermined its disaster response.

The delay in deploying search and rescue teams was first reported by CNN.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott submitted his formal request for federal disaster assistance on Saturday evening, officials said. President Donald Trump signed the disaster declaration the next day. But it took an unusual amount of time for that help to arrive in Texas, the officials said.

After FEMA received approval from DHS on Monday afternoon, three search and rescue crews and task forces were deployed to the region, arriving there Tuesday, according to agency officials and documents.

“We honestly have our hands tied on a lot,” one official said. “We couldn’t move on those requests due to the $100,000 restriction.”

As a result of the spending limit, the agency had to launch a “tiger” data team to create a new disaster application that will enable them to work with the restriction and process requests more quickly, according to an email seen by The Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/07/10/fema-texas-flooding-dhs-search-rescue/

 

[Darkwind]

Imbecile Kristi Noem directed that she personally approve all emergency purchases over $100,000....which is basically every ******* purchase during a natural disaster.

Her incompetence ensured a very slow FEMA response.



From the Washington Post. --

Two days before torrential rains turned the Guadalupe River into a raging flood, a veteran official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Washington Post that one of the main concerns for this disaster season was the agency’s ability to quickly deploy specialized search and rescue teams. The Trump administration’s new rules mean disaster specialists can no longer “make decisions” on their own.

The official then watched it happen in real time in Texas.

Deployments of critical resources, such as tactical and specialized search and rescue teams, were delayed as a result of a budget restriction requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem to approve every purchase, contract and grant over $100,000, according to a dozen current and former FEMA employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

When rapidly responding to billion-dollar disasters, that “is basically everything,” said one current official.

Other efforts by the administration to constrain spending have hampered FEMA’s operations, officials said, which is likely to make it harder for the agency to be proactive during what is predicted to be a busy disaster season.

Multiple former officials and current employees say that several contracts with companies that provide crucial services for disaster response have run out or are about to lapse and have not yet been extended. And the agency has created work-arounds to get money out the door more quickly, according to documents reviewed by The Post.

DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the department had decentralized some of FEMA’s functions, but that these changes had not undermined its disaster response.

The delay in deploying search and rescue teams was first reported by CNN.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott submitted his formal request for federal disaster assistance on Saturday evening, officials said. President Donald Trump signed the disaster declaration the next day. But it took an unusual amount of time for that help to arrive in Texas, the officials said.

After FEMA received approval from DHS on Monday afternoon, three search and rescue crews and task forces were deployed to the region, arriving there Tuesday, according to agency officials and documents.

“We honestly have our hands tied on a lot,” one official said. “We couldn’t move on those requests due to the $100,000 restriction.”

As a result of the spending limit, the agency had to launch a “tiger” data team to create a new disaster application that will enable them to work with the restriction and process requests more quickly, according to an email seen by The Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/07/10/fema-texas-flooding-dhs-search-rescue/

This forum certainly needs a "Liar" smiley, for you certainly are a liar. Not to stable mentally either.

 

[Oddball]

Strawman. Nobody is criticizing FEMA for not “stopping the flood”. The article says in the first paragraph that survivors needed assistance and were ignored.
Residents reported property damage, requested temporary housing and debris removal, and asked about restoring utilities…a flood’s fallout doesn’t end in 48 hours.



#FAIL
G

What were they supposed to do while the disaster was ongoing, Chumlee?

 

[Dr. Phosphorous]

This forum certainly needs a "Liar" smiley, for you certainly are a liar. Not to stable mentally either.

Refute the WaPo article....or just go **** yourself, mentally ill MAGA troll.

 

[Oddball]

BackAgain

Oh I don’t know… maybe answer the damn phone when people are literally calling for help while their homes are underwater? Or was FEMA just supposed to send “thoughts and prayers” via voicemail? I guess under Trump’s leadership, the new emergency protocol is “press 1 to drown with dignity”

What the **** is FEMA, like a suicide crisis line for natural disasters?

Are you out of your ******* mind?

 

[cnm]

And just what was FEMA supposed to do about it!

Get resources in place.

 

[cnm]

BackAgain

Oh I don’t know… maybe answer the damn phone when people are literally calling for help while their homes are underwater? Or was FEMA just supposed to send “thoughts and prayers” via voicemail? I guess under Trump’s leadership, the new emergency protocol is “press 1 to drown with dignity”

'press 2 for electrocution'

'press 3 for the shark'