Houston Chronicle
(TNS)
Jul. 22—The head of FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue branch has resigned, following crippling delays in the agency's response to the catastrophic flooding disaster in Central Texas.
The decision was likely in part due to the agency's delayed response to the flooding disaster in Central Texas. Senior FEMA leader Ken Pagurek told colleagues this was the last straw after months of frustration over President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to eliminate the agency, CNN reported.
Pagurek did not mention the Texas floods in his resignation letter.
"This decision was not made lightly, and after much reflection and prayer, it is the right path for me at this time," Pagurek wrote in a resignation letter obtained by CNN. "I have been continually inspired by the unwavering dedication, unmatched courage, and deep-seated commitment we share for saving lives and bringing hope in the face of devastation."
Pagurek reportedly plans on returning to the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Pagurek joins a dozen senior leaders and hundreds of employees who left FEMA in recent months, through voluntary resignations and layoffs from the Trump administration, as the agency faces shifting priorities and massive restructuring.
Trump for months said he wants to "wean off" FEMA, putting disaster response on states. He previously said the agency could be eliminated as early as December 2025.
However, following the torrent of floods that ripped through Central Texas, White House officials told the Washington Post that FEMA is not set to be abolished at this time. Officials said the president is looking to restructure the federal disaster response agency, saying the agency created a "bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience."
At the same time, FEMA has come under scrutiny over the rollout of emergency resources in the wake of the catastrophic floods that ripped through Central Texas, claiming at least 135 lives in the state. The disaster was one of the deadliest in Texas history, with the death toll outpacing other major disasters such as Hurricane Harvey.
At the core of the delays was a new policy that requires Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's signature for every contract over $100,000 before funds can be dispersed.
In the wake of the Central Texas floods, officials nearly immediately ran into bureaucratic roadblocks as they attempted to deploy FEMA resources, leaving Texas waiting for critical resources including search and rescue teams and aerial imagery.
Noem did not authorize deployment of search and rescue teams until nearly over 72 hours after the floods began. In addition, almost two-thirds of calls from flood survivors to FEMA's disaster assistance line went unanswered, after hundreds of employees' contracts were not renewed as part of Trump's quest to shrink the federal government.
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