DHS Executive Director Kristi Noem discusses flood response in Texas
At a press conference on Saturday, Homeland Security Department Christie Noem discussed the federal response to the Texas flood disaster that claimed more than 119 lives on July 4th. (Credit: WTSP via NNS)
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Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said last weekend that the federal response to the fatal floods in Texas Hill Country is a good indication of improvements in disaster response that the Trump administration has pledged to provide.
The devastating flood on July 4th claimed at least 119 lives, with over 150 missing. Among those killed were 27 girls attending Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas.
“What we see from our responses in Texas will be a lot of the presidents. [Donald] What does Trump imagine? [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] (FEMA) will be visible in the future,” Noem said at a press conference on Saturday.
“We were in Texas and accordingly, very different from Joe Biden.”
DHS Executive Director Christie Noem and Governor Greg Abbott will discuss ongoing efforts in recent floods along the Guadalupe River at a press conference in Ingram, Texas on July 5th (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)
President Trump, First Ladyhead visits Carville, Texas after fatal floods
In response to the 2023 Ohio train derailment in East Palestine, the Biden administration said the chemical disasters did not meet the legal requirements of the FEMA disaster declaration and deployed them to help the teams wait two weeks.
The 2023 Maui fire killed more than 100 people and returned the historic Lahaina to Kura Rub. Survivors were left without food, water or shelter.
At the time, FEMA administrator Michael Brown called President Joe Biden’s response to the fatal fire “a terrible failure.”
Evacuated residents Caroline Anthony and Lori Brodur will pause while searching for personal items in the tile ble of the wildfire that destroyed their home on October 5, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Slow reactions and inadequate aid were also widely reported after Hurricane Helen struck North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina in late 2024.
“I will also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or to begin the process of removing FEMA,” Trump said during a visit to North Carolina in January. “Frankly, I don’t think FEMA is good.”
Fatal Texas Flood Exposes “Ignored” Weather Warning System Trump seeks to modernize
On July 9th, a search and rescue team working in Carville, Texas.
Noem noted that during the recent disaster, federal aid was on the ground in Texas as soon as the flood occurred.
“We deployed the Coast Guard, helicopters. [aircraft] And swift water rescue teams kicked out of customs and border security,” she said. [Border Patrol Tactical Unit] (BORTAC) The team I like to call the Department of Homeland Security Ninjas is specially trained for unprecedented circumstances.
After the flood, Noem immediately met with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and said he spoke with him about signing a major disaster declaration.
Within an hour or two of the request, she was approved by the White House, she said.
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will meet with local emergency services representatives as they investigate flood damage along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“We deployed Texas dollars ahead of time so that they could make the best decisions that would respond to their people,” Noem said. “FEMA has never done that before, and has deployed pre-deployed dollars to the states so that they can use it to save people.
Noem said the president hopes the state can be empowered in an emergency.
government. Abbott calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the Texas Flood Warning System as death toll rises
“The emergency is running locally,” she said. “They are state-controlled and then the federal government will come in and support you. [No one] You’ve never wanted to wait for someone from the federal government to rescue you from your home and rescue you in the past.
Under President Trump, federal officials were there quickly to help local and state officials manage the response, Noem said.
The victims of the Texas flooding have been confirmed to have been killed by family members, including some of the girls who went missing from Camp Mystic when the Guadalupe River flooded on July 4th (Fox News)
She added the belief that FEMA “will stop being as it is today.”
“We are fundamentally reforming that institution,” Noem said. “President Trump may want to change the name of things in his privileges as he wants to do. He comes up with a new name for this agency that reflects the fundamental changes that take place there.
“It immediately goes to that state, and then to the head of its local emergency management, ‘What do you need? How can I support you?’ And they’re always there right on the street so they train them to get the skill set that they need to serve people right away. ”
It is unclear what the new agent’s name will be.
President Donald and Melania Trump are listening during roundtable discussions with first responders and local officials at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, Texas, after observing flood damage on Friday. (AP Photo/Jaclyn Martin)
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When asked about reporting a call from a Texas resident to FEMA, Noem said she was “throwing a bull.”
“I’m going to get rid of contracts that don’t respond to people because I know they’re authorized to do that,” she said.
FEMA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News digital journalist covering Breaking News, focusing on impactful events that shape public conversations and impact government responses.
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