Lincoln Square - As Texas Families Reported Missing Children, Kristi Noem Posted on Instagram and Blocked FEMA Aid [View all]
By Brian Daitzman
On July 5, 2025, deadly floods swept through Central Texas, as families frantically called FEMA to report missing children and loved ones.
That same day, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem let FEMA’s contracts with private call centers expire. The move abruptly dismissed hundreds of contractors who had been fielding nearly all survivor calls. Although FEMA answered almost every one of more than 3,000 calls that day, Noem then waited five full days to approve contract renewals, leaving thousands of desperate callers — many reporting missing children — stranded without help, according to The Daily Beast.
From Peak Response to Collapse
On July 5, FEMA answered 3,018 of 3,027 calls, a 99.7 percent response rate thanks to four private call center companies and their trained staff. That night, however, Noem’s policy requiring her personal approval for any DHS expense over $100,000 blocked the renewals and gutted FEMA operations.
Service collapsed almost immediately. On July 6, FEMA answered only 846 of 2,363 calls, or 36 percent. By July 7, with calls surging to over 16,000, the agency answered just 2,613 calls, under 16 percent, according to The New York Times records cited by The Daily Beast.
https://www.lincolnsquare.media/p/as-texas-families-reported-missing
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