Texas faced deadly flooding on July 11, 2025, leading to a crisis in response efforts by FEMA. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem laid off hundreds of contractors on July 5, just as calls from survivors surged. The agency's call responsiveness dropped dramatically from nearly 99.7% on July 5 to only 15.9% by July 7, after Noem delayed renewing contracts for the call centers. As a result, over two-thirds of flood victims' calls went unanswered, exacerbating the crisis situation in affected areas.
The number of unanswered phone calls to FEMA from flood victims soared after Kristi Noem laid off contractors responsible for taking those calls, severely hampering the agency's response.
FEMA's ability to respond quickly diminished significantly after contract renewals were delayed, leading to only 15.9 percent of calls being answered by July 7.
Over two-thirds of phone calls from flood survivors to FEMA remained unanswered shortly after the devastating floods, resulting from the abrupt layoff of contractors.
The decision to terminate contracts with call center companies led to a dangerous drop in response rates to disaster survivors, highlighting severe administrative missteps.
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