on it. i'll verify whether kristi noem really terminated fema call center contractors during an active emergency, and what the impact was—including context, timeline, and any official justification. i'll let you know what turns up.
Timeline of FEMA Call Center Activity (July 5–7, 2025)
In early July 2025, catastrophic floods struck central Texas. FEMA’s disaster assistance call centers were initially fully staffed by contractors and handled near 100% of incoming calls. On July 5, as floodwaters began receding, FEMA received 3,027 calls from survivors and answered 3,018 of them (~99.7% answer rate)www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. However, that evening the contracts with four private call center companies expired and were not renewed, resulting in hundreds of call center contractors being let gowww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. The next day, July 6, with far fewer staff, FEMA received 2,363 calls but answered only 846 (~35.8%)www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. By Monday July 7, call volume surged to 16,419 calls (as damage assessments and aid requests peaked) and FEMA answered just 2,613 (~15.9%), leaving thousands of calls unansweredwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. This sudden drop in responsiveness occurred during the active emergency response, when flood survivors urgently needed help. Internal records show FEMA officials grew alarmed; on July 8, one official emailed colleagues that “we still do not have a decision, waiver or signature from the DHS Secretary” to rehire call center staffwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com, underscoring frustration as the lapse continued.
Noem’s Role in Contract Non-Renewal
Kristi Noem – at that time serving as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (after her tenure as South Dakota’s governor) – had instituted a new DHS policy requiring her personal approval for any contract or expenditure over $100,000www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. The four call center contracts fell under this rule. According to documents reviewed by The New York Times, Noem did not renew or extend the contracts on July 5, allowing them to lapse during the flood crisiswww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.comwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. It was five days later, on Thursday July 10, before she finally signed off to renew the call-center contractswww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. In the interim, FEMA’s ability to answer calls was severely crippled. While a state governor would normally have no authority over FEMA operations, Noem’s position as DHS Secretary gave her oversight of FEMA’s budget and contractswww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. Her decision (or delay) to approve these contracts directly led to the staffing gap at FEMA call centers during an ongoing disaster response.
Impact on Call Response Rates
The impact of the contract lapse was immediate and dramatic. Call response rates plummeted once the contractor staff were gone. As noted, on July 6 only about 36% of calls were answered, and on July 7 only about 16% were answered – meaning over 13,000 calls went unanswered on July 7 alonewww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. By comparison, virtually every call had been answered when contractors were in place on July 5www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. Survivors seeking aid were met with long hold times or no answer at all. FEMA had effectively lost the “vast majority” of its call center workforce overnightwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. Some FEMA officials were reportedly outraged that critical support was halted; internal communications show they blamed the lapse on waiting for Noem’s approval and described the situation as hindering the disaster responsewww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com. The data underscore that the failure to renew contracts during the flood emergency caused thousands of Texans in need to initially miss reaching a FEMA operatorwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com.
Public Statements and Justifications
Faced with scrutiny, officials provided explanations that downplayed the issue. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman insisted that no callers were left without help, despite the data. “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,” the DHS spokeswoman told The New York Times in a statementwww.thedailybeast.com. This rosy assessment was widely contradicted by the call logs showing thousands of missed calls.Noem and DHS also defended the broader disaster response. DHS officials said that Noem initially did not need to authorize additional FEMA resources because other DHS assets were deployed – for example, the U.S. Coast Guard and Border Patrol search-and-rescue teams – to assist Texas authoritieseconomictimes.indiatimes.com. On social media, Noem herself claimed the “immediate disaster response was swift and efficient.” She touted the administration’s new “states-first” approach, saying that DHS and FEMA provided upfront support to empower Texas responders and “moved money faster than ever” to jump-start recoveryeconomictimes.indiatimes.com. In essence, Noem argued that the federal government’s role was deliberately scaled-back and that state and local teams were leading the charge, with federal assets in a supporting roleeconomictimes.indiatimes.com. These justifications align with Noem’s and the Trump administration’s stated philosophy that disasters should be managed primarily by states, with FEMA taking a back-up roleeconomictimes.indiatimes.com.