FEMA’s Texas Flood Response Under Fire | Durham News

A former FEMA acting administrator spills the tea in his new book, defending the agency’s response to Texas’s catastrophic July Fourth floods — despite heavy criticism. David Richardson claims FEMA was well-prepared, running drills and deploying teams swiftly, even as leadership imposed bureaucratic roadblocks like requiring personal sign-off on contracts over $100K, which he says crippled disaster relief efforts. He recounts overriding headquarters to get aid to Texas, likening it to military command decisions, and ultimately resigned in December 2025, blaming the memo for accelerating Kristi Noem’s departure. Richardson also pushes for a major FEMA overhaul — arguing it should report directly to the president — calling the current structure bloated and inefficient. He insists Texans got the help they needed, even while working remotely from Gettysburg during the crisis.

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This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.
Sources:
https://abc11.com/story/former-fema-administrator-speaks-kristi-noems-downfall-deadly-texas-flooding/19835741/

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