FEMA’s acting administrator, David Richardson, was reportedly unreachable during the deadly Texas floods in July, hindering the agency’s ability to deploy critical search-and-rescue teams quickly. Multiple current and former officials were unable to get in touch with Richardson for hours after the disaster unfolded. The federal agency had already been facing a lot of criticism for its sluggish response to the event, where at least 138 people were tragically killed.
The lack of communication was a huge problem, especially since a new policy had recently been put in place by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The policy requires her to personally approve any expenditure over $100,000 before funds can be released. This meant that Richardson needed to get requests for assistance to Noem quickly, but according to a senior official, “nobody could get a hold of him for hours and hours.”
