Two days after catastrophic floods roared through Central Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.
The lack of responsiveness happened because the agency had fired hundreds of contractors at call centers, according to a person briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal matters.
The agency laid off the contractors on July 5 after their contracts expired and were not extended, according to the documents and the person briefed on the matter. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, who has instituted a new requirement that she personally approve expenses over $100,000, did not renew the contracts until Thursday, five days after the contracts expired. FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Democratic lawmakers raised concern on Friday that Ms. Noem’s insistence on approving expenses over $100,000 had also delayed FEMA’s deployment of search-and-rescue teams to Texas. In a letter to David Richardson, FEMA’s acting administrator, the Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform wrote that Ms. Noem did not authorize the deployment of those teams until July 7, three days after the flooding began.
Mr. Richardson, who has no background in emergency management, has not made any public appearances since his appointment on May 8, breaking with a long tradition of FEMA leaders meeting with local officials in the wake of disasters.
Her boss.The OP references a nytimes article:
...After floods, hurricanes and other disasters, survivors can call FEMA to apply for different types of financial assistance. People who have lost their homes, for instance, can apply for a one-time payment of $750 that can help cover their immediate needs, such as food or other supplies.
On July 5, as floodwaters were starting to recede, FEMA received 3,027 calls from disaster survivors and answered 3,018, or roughly 99.7 percent, the documents show. Contractors with four call center companies answered the vast majority of the calls.
That evening, however, Ms. Noem did not renew the contracts with the four companies and hundreds of contractors were fired, according to the documents and the person briefed on the matter.
The next day, July 6, FEMA received 2,363 calls and answered 846, or roughly 35.8 percent, according to the documents. And on Monday, July 7, the agency fielded 16,419 calls and answered 2,613, or around 15.9 percent, the documents show.
Some FEMA officials grew frustrated by the lapse in contracts and that it was taking days for Ms. Noem to act, according to the person briefed on the matter and the documents. “We still do not have a decision, waiver or signature from the DHS Secretary,” a FEMA official wrote in a July 8 email to colleagues.
Representatives for two of the companies with call center contracts, General Dynamics Information Technology and Maximus, redirected requests for comment to FEMA. Representatives for the other two firms, ITCON and TTEC, did not respond to requests for comment.
“Responding to less than half of the inquiries is pretty horrific,” said Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, who directs the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.
“Put yourself in the shoes of a survivor: You’ve lost everything, you’re trying to find out what’s insured and what’s not, and you’re navigating multiple aid programs,” Mr. Schlegelmilch said. “One of the most important services in disaster recovery is being able to call someone and walk through these processes and paperwork.”...
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That Noem played politics with these peoples' lives is abominable. Why hasn't she been fired? Is it because she was carrying out trump's and miller's bidding?
Suddenly, I'm not so reassured that trump has said he'll keep FEMA going until the end of this year. With Noem at the helm (possibly carrying out trump's slow-it-down policy)....Pretty sure everyone saw this coming months ago.
And this is very small potatoes next to a hurricane.
Where I live a thunderstorm causing flooding is a big deal. We'ee a ground zero area.Pretty sure everyone saw this coming months ago.
And this is very small potatoes next to a hurricane.
The random cuts and mismanagement sure are making government work better.
FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show
Giant hurricanes hit the South almost every year.Pretty sure everyone saw this coming months ago.
And this is very small potatoes next to a hurricane.
Yeah, same.Where I live a thunderstorm causing flooding is a big deal. We'ee a ground zero area.
They will blame Democrats.Giant hurricanes hit the South almost every year.
MAGA has guaranteed that we will not be prepared.
That’s some real DOGE for ya.
Oh okay, it’s totally fine for Trump’s FEMA to not follow laws and do its job ‘cause scammers.14,000 more calls to FEMA. In one day?! Just like every other major disaster, the majority of those call are foreign scammers.
According to this source, in central Texas the intensity of extreme rainfall events has increased by 19% since 1985.The random cuts and mismanagement sure are making government work better.
FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show
what? proof?14,000 more calls to FEMA. In one day?! Just like every other major disaster, the majority of those call are foreign scammers.
Who needs proof? We already know that only scammers call, people with legitimate issues quietly await assistance. Just like Social Security.what? proof?
The states are gonna take the bulk of the responsibility for their respective citizens as they should. States do a better job and are more accountable. It seems Democrats are furious over losing their only avenue toward Orwellian tyranny: the federal government. Look at all those cushy, do nothing federal jobs thet can't have, and yet another limit on federally soaking the private sector. Ah, the horror. Lol!!They will blame Democrats
Orwellian tyranny? LolThe states are gonna take the bulk of the responsibility for their respective citizens as they should. States do a better job and are more accountable. It seems Democrats are furious over losing their only avenue toward Orwellian tyranny: the federal government. Look at all those cushy, do nothing federal jobs thet can't have, and yet another limit on federally soaking the private sector. Ah, the horror. Lol!!
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