Texas floods newest: Death toll rises to 129 as battered communities face weekend of flash flood dangers

Two days after severe floods hit Central Texas, nearly two-thirds of calls to FEMA’s disaster assistance line went unanswered, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The lack of response was due to the agency firing hundreds of contractors at call centers, a person familiar with the matter, speaking anonymously, told the paper.

The contractors were laid off on July 5 after their contracts expired and were not renewed, based on the documents and the source’s account.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA, has introduced a new rule requiring her personal approval for expenses exceeding $100,000 and delayed renewing these contracts until Thursday, five days after they expired.

The report of unanswered calls on July 6, which had not been previously revealed, coincides with increased scrutiny of FEMA’s flood response efforts and questions about the agency’s future.

A spokesperson for DHS told the Times: “When a natural disaster strikes, phone calls surge, and wait times can subsequently increase. Despite this expected influx, FEMA’s disaster call center responded to every caller swiftly and efficiently, ensuring no one was left without assistance.”

Individuals impacted by disasters can apply for various types of financial assistance from FEMA, including a one-time payment of $750, which can help cover their immediate needs, such as food or other essential supplies for those who have lost their homes.

On July 5, as floodwaters started to go down, FEMA received 3,027 calls from disaster survivors and responded to 3,018, or about 99.7 percent, according to the records. Contractors from four call center companies handled most of the calls.

However, Noem did not renew the contracts with the four companies, and hundreds of contractors were fired, according to the documents and the person briefed on the matter.

The next day, July 6, FEMA received 2,363 calls and answered 846, or about 35.8 percent, according to the documents. Things got worse.

On Monday, July 7, the agency received 16,419 calls and answered 2,613, or approximately 15.9 percent, according to the documents.

Some FEMA officials grew frustrated with the lapse in contracts and the delay in Noem’s response, according to the person briefed on the matter and the documents.

Across a wide swath of Texas, the inundated rivers that ravaged communities also tore through farms and ranches.

In the town of Bend, about two hours north of Austin, Boyd Clark waded into rising waters to help one of his stranded ostrich hens. Matthew Ketterman spent several agonizing hours trapped on top of his truck amid coursing rapids after driving out to check the fences on his exotic game ranch outside Burnet, about an hour south of Bend. And the overflowing San Gabriel River knocked Christmas trees sideways and staff had to get petting zoo animals into a temporary pen at Sweet Eats Adventure Farm in Georgetown, about 65 miles east of Ketterman’s ranch.

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Kerr County officials reportedly failed to activate a powerful public alert system that could have saved lives before last week’s devastating flood, leaving almost 100 dead and over 160 missing in the county. The Washington Post revealed that despite having the technology to turn every mobile phone in the river valley into a loud alarm, local authorities did not deploy it as the Guadalupe River swelled to record levels on July 4, inundating campsites and homes.

As the river began to flood, county officials eventually sent text message alerts, but only to pre-registered residents. Even as a federal meteorologist warned of worsening conditions and extreme risk, the more potent notification system, previously used for flood alerts, remained inactive. The National Weather Service, however, began sending its own alerts through this system from 1:14 a.m. on July 4.

The Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) is a mass notification programme used by National Weather Service meteorologists for imminent threats. Like Amber Alerts, IPAWS warnings force phones to vibrate and emit a unique, jarring tone, provided they are on and have a signal. It also enables local officials to send targeted messages.

Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, a University of Central Florida professor researching emergency management, told The Post that residents are more likely to trust messages from local government. He suggested the alert could have made a significant difference, despite patchy mobile service and many likely asleep as floodwaters surged.

For years, Kerr County officials have discussed a more robust flash-flood warning system, including the installation of expensive sirens. Lacking that infrastructure, they adopted IPAWS, which cost nothing, to alert more people.

IPAWS had been activated by Kerr County twice before, most recently in July 2024 for flash floods. Just two days after this year’s deadly storm, amid further thunderstorms, county officials did use IPAWS to warn of another potential round of river flooding.

The body of a 22-year-old man has been recovered in the Texas Hill Country after devastating floodwaters inundated his family’s river cabin on July 4, his father confirmed.

Aidan Heartfield was with three friends when they were caught in a sudden deluge that saw water levels inside the property rise from inches to several feet in moments.

The tragedy unfolded around 4 a.m. when Thad Heartfield received a frantic call from his son, Aidan, who was at the cabin in Hunt with his girlfriend and two friends, NBC News reports.

Aidan reported four inches of water inside the property, but within seconds, the water surged to approximately four feet. Mr Heartfield urged his son to escape to the highway, but the rapidly rising waters swept away their cars.

Aidan then told his father he needed to help his girlfriend, handing the phone to one of the other girls. Within moments, she told Mr Heartfield that his son and the others were gone, before the line went dead.

Thad Heartfield confirmed on Saturday to KFDM/Fox 4 News that Aidan’s body had been recovered. His longtime girlfriend, Ella Cahill, and friends Joyce Badon and Reese Manchaca, both 21, were also found deceased.

“I want to thank everyone in the community for their prayers and support,” Mr Heartfield said. “It has meant the world to us and sustained us through this difficult time. I know it has been important to all of the affected families. This is an important step toward closure.”

An event in support of local reporting was postponed after death threats against a journalist for his newspaper editorial cartoon about the catastrophic flooding in Texas, according to a union.

An online fury erupted this week over an editorial cartoon in The Buffalo News by Pulitzer Prize-winner Adam Zyglis showing a man in a MAGA cap being swept away by the Texas floodwaters. Nose deep in the water, the man is holding up a sign that reads “Help” and a speech bubble floating downstream says: “Gov’t is the problem not the solution.”

House Democrats addressed a letter to President Donald Trump and weather infrastructure officials on Friday, expressing “deep concern” about the flooding in Kerr County, Texas, and the “structural shortcomings at the federal, state, and local levels that contributed to the tragic loss of life.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

North Dakota has deployed a sophisticated drone to Texas to assist with search efforts following devastating floods in the Hill Country region. A seven-person crew from the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Wing is operating an MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely piloted aircraft, to provide crucial air support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to ground teams.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed gratitude to his North Dakota counterpart, Governor Kelly Armstrong, for approving the request made through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). This national interstate mutual aid system enables states to share vital resources during disasters, with numerous other states also dispatching equipment and search teams.

Notably, this marks the first instance of the 119th Wing providing MQ-9 support in response to an EMAC request.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press conference today that the response to the Texas flash floods is President Donald Trump’s vision for how FEMA will operate in the future.

“Some of what you saw for our response in Texas is going to be a lot of how President Trump envisions what FEMA would look like into the future … emergencies are locally executed. They are state-managed. The federal government comes in and supports.”

Watch her remarks below: