Fact Check: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after Texas floods.

Fact Check: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after Texas floods.

Published July 12, 2025
VERDICT
True

# Fact Check: "FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after Texas floods." ## What We Know Following catastrophic floods ...

Fact Check: "FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after Texas floods."

What We Know

Following catastrophic floods in Texas in July 2025, it was reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) failed to answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line. According to documents reviewed by The New York Times, on July 6, FEMA received 2,363 calls but only answered 846, which equates to approximately 35.8% of the calls. The situation worsened on July 7, when FEMA received 16,419 calls and answered only 2,613, or around 15.9% of the calls. This drastic drop in responsiveness was attributed to the agency's decision to terminate contracts with call center contractors just before the floods, leading to a significant reduction in available staff to handle calls (source-4, source-6).

Analysis

The claim that FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls is supported by multiple credible sources. The New York Times detailed the timeline of events, indicating that FEMA's call center was overwhelmed due to the termination of contracts with call center companies, which resulted in hundreds of contractors being laid off just before the flood response (source-4). This decision was made by Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, who did not renew the contracts until several days later, exacerbating the situation (source-4).

The reliability of the sources is high, as they include direct documentation from FEMA and reports from established news organizations like The New York Times and CNN. These sources provided detailed accounts of the events, including internal communications from FEMA officials expressing frustration over the lack of staffing to handle the surge in calls (source-4, source-8). Additionally, experts in disaster preparedness, such as Jeffrey Schlegelmilch from Columbia University, criticized FEMA's performance during this crisis, emphasizing the importance of timely communication for disaster survivors (source-4).

While FEMA's spokesperson claimed that the agency responded "swiftly and efficiently," this assertion contradicts the documented evidence of the call response rates, which clearly indicate a significant failure in service (source-4).

Conclusion

The claim that FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after the Texas floods is True. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms that FEMA's response was severely hampered by staffing issues stemming from the termination of contracts with call center contractors, leading to a dramatic decline in the agency's ability to assist disaster survivors.

Sources

  1. Texas Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding
  2. President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Texas
  3. July 11, 2025 Mr. David Richardson Senior Official
  4. FEMA Didn't Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors
  5. As FEMA aids Texas flood victims, Noem urges eliminating the agency
  6. After Texas Disaster, Trump Shifts His Tone on FEMA
  7. Budget limits at DHS delayed FEMA's Texas deployment
  8. In Texas flood response, FEMA slowed by Noem's cost controls

Have a claim you want to verify? It's 100% Free!

Our AI-powered fact-checker analyzes claims against thousands of reliable sources and provides evidence-based verdicts in seconds. Completely free with no registration required.

💡 Try:
"Coffee helps you live longer"
100% Free
No Registration
Instant Results

Comments

Leave a comment

Loading comments...

More Fact Checks to Explore

Discover similar claims and stay informed with these related fact-checks

Fact Check: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after floods.
True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after floods.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of disaster assistance calls after floods.

Jul 12, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line.
Unverified
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line.

Jul 12, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check:  FEMA CALLS
WENT UNANSWERED AFTER FLOODS BECAUSE NOEM DID NOT RENEW CONTRACTS
True
🎯 Similar

Fact Check: FEMA CALLS WENT UNANSWERED AFTER FLOODS BECAUSE NOEM DID NOT RENEW CONTRACTS

Detailed fact-check analysis of: FEMA CALLS WENT UNANSWERED AFTER FLOODS BECAUSE NOEM DID NOT RENEW CONTRACTS

Jul 21, 2025
Read more →
🔍
False

Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 I'm Christy Nome here in Texas with my boots on the ground after this devastating tragedy that was absolutely not preventable and we are in no way responsible for it after visiting here I recently found out that Habius Corpus is the name of a city here in Texas and is in fact not a legal term which means the president can do whatever he wants. I have been told by some people that in addition to being the Secretary of Homeland Security that does also make me the head of Fema Fema sounds like female or feminism and that's DEI and 00:34 I don't believe in that. President Trump has entrusted me to be in charge of Fema which is not a federal emergency management agency. In fact, all emergencies are actually being managed by the state and the reason why I am here is to make sure to get some good film for my B roll. It is completely disgusting that there are people out there who are trying to politicize the devastation that happened here in Texas and I would like to remind everyone that it is only okay to politicize natural disasters when they happen in 01:04 blue states.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 I'm Christy Nome here in Texas with my boots on the ground after this devastating tragedy that was absolutely not preventable and we are in no way responsible for it after visiting here I recently found out that Habius Corpus is the name of a city here in Texas and is in fact not a legal term which means the president can do whatever he wants. I have been told by some people that in addition to being the Secretary of Homeland Security that does also make me the head of Fema Fema sounds like female or feminism and that's DEI and 00:34 I don't believe in that. President Trump has entrusted me to be in charge of Fema which is not a federal emergency management agency. In fact, all emergencies are actually being managed by the state and the reason why I am here is to make sure to get some good film for my B roll. It is completely disgusting that there are people out there who are trying to politicize the devastation that happened here in Texas and I would like to remind everyone that it is only okay to politicize natural disasters when they happen in 01:04 blue states.

Jul 28, 2025
Read more →
Fact Check: <redacted_social_handle> leaked classified intel to a group chat — not once, but TWICE.

Trump’s acting FEMA chief, David Richardson, didn’t know the United States has a hurricane season.

#POTUS <redacted_social_handle> thinks there are nine stages of cancer, “hundreds of governors,” and that the Declaration of Independence was written AFTER the Civil War.

Now we have <redacted_social_handle> — Secretary of Homeland Security — who DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT FEMA STANDS FOR, let alone 👏🏼what 👏🏼FEMA 👏🏼actually 👏🏼does.
Partially True

Fact Check: <redacted_social_handle> leaked classified intel to a group chat — not once, but TWICE. Trump’s acting FEMA chief, David Richardson, didn’t know the United States has a hurricane season. #POTUS <redacted_social_handle> thinks there are nine stages of cancer, “hundreds of governors,” and that the Declaration of Independence was written AFTER the Civil War. Now we have <redacted_social_handle> — Secretary of Homeland Security — who DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT FEMA STANDS FOR, let alone 👏🏼what 👏🏼FEMA 👏🏼actually 👏🏼does.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: <redacted_social_handle> leaked classified intel to a group chat — not once, but TWICE. Trump’s acting FEMA chief, David Richardson, didn’t know the United States has a hurricane season. #POTUS <redacted_social_handle> thinks there are nine stages of cancer, “hundreds of governors,” and that the Declaration of Independence was written AFTER the Civil War. Now we have <redacted_social_handle> — Secretary of Homeland Security — who DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT FEMA STANDS FOR, let alone 👏🏼what 👏🏼FEMA 👏🏼actually 👏🏼does.

Jul 21, 2025
Read more →
🔍
Partially True

Fact Check: The Trump administration's cuts to FEMA worsened disaster response in Texas.

Detailed fact-check analysis of: The Trump administration's cuts to FEMA worsened disaster response in Texas.

Jul 8, 2025
Read more →