Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has pushed back against a damning report in The New York Times that claimed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ignored thousands of distress calls during catastrophic flooding in Central Texas. The Times reported that FEMA failed to respond to nearly two-thirds of all emergency calls during the disaster, which has so far claimed at least 129 lives, with another 160 still unaccounted for.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/could-trump-assassination-attempt-have-been-stopped-secret-service-officials-were-aware-of-threat-to-trump-s-life-says-report-1752410748611">Could Trump assassination attempt have been stopped? Secret Service officials were aware of threat to Trump’s life, says report</a><h2>Noem says criticism is ‘political’</h2>Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Noem dismissed the report as untrue. “It’s just false,” she said. “It’s discouraging that during this time, when we have such a loss of life and so many people’s lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this because the response time was immediate,” she added.She further added, “The false reporting has been something that is inappropriate and it’s something that I think we need to clear up. This response was by far the best response we’ve seen out of FEMA, the best response we’ve seen out of the federal government in many, many years and certainly much better than what we saw under Joe Biden.”<h2>Contractors cut and rescue delayed</h2>Criticism has focused on Noem’s decision to cut costs by laying off hundreds of FEMA call centre contractors. CNN also reported that new regulations requiring the Homeland Security secretary to approve any contract or grant above $100,000 slowed down the mobilisation of critical search and rescue teams.Noem brushed off the claims, saying, “I’m not sure where it came from. The individuals who are giving you information out of FEMA, I’d love to have them put their names behind it because anonymous attacks to politicise the situation is completely wrong.”Noem, who has faced criticism in the past for her approach to immigration raids and is sometimes referred to by critics as “ICE Barbie”, has again found herself under fire for the government’s handling of a disaster. Despite the backlash, she continued to defend FEMA’s actions and even hinted at wider reforms.“The president recognises that FEMA should not exist in the way that it always has been,” she said. “It needs to be redeployed, in a new way, and that’s what we did during this response.” She added, “It’s not just FEMA that can respond in these situations. The federal government has all kinds of assets, and we deployed them.”

Noem, who has faced criticism in the past for her approach to immigration raids and is sometimes referred to by critics as “ICE Barbie”, has again found herself under fire for the government’s handling of a disaster.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has pushed back against a damning report in The New York Times that claimed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ignored thousands of distress calls during catastrophic flooding in Central Texas. The Times reported that FEMA failed to respond to nearly two-thirds of all emergency calls during the disaster, which has so far claimed at least 129 lives, with another 160 still unaccounted for. Also read: Could Trump assassination attempt have been stopped? Secret Service officials were aware of threat to Trump’s life, says report Noem says criticism is ‘political’ Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Noem dismissed the report as untrue. “It’s just false,” she said. “It’s discouraging that during this time, when we have such a loss of life and so many people’s lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this because the response time was immediate,” she added. She further added, “The false reporting has been something that is inappropriate and it’s something that I think we need to clear up. This response was by far the best response we’ve seen out of FEMA, the best response we’ve seen out of the federal government in many, many years and certainly much better than what we saw under Joe Biden.” Contractors cut and rescue delayed Criticism has focused on Noem’s decision to cut costs by laying off hundreds of FEMA call centre contractors. CNN also reported that new regulations requiring the Homeland Security secretary to approve any contract or grant above $100,000 slowed down the mobilisation of critical search and rescue teams. Noem brushed off the claims, saying, “I’m not sure where it came from. The individuals who are giving you information out of FEMA, I’d love to have them put their names behind it because anonymous attacks to politicise the situation is completely wrong.” Noem, who has faced criticism in the past for her approach to immigration raids and is sometimes referred to by critics as “ICE Barbie”, has again found herself under fire for the government’s handling of a disaster. Despite the backlash, she continued to defend FEMA’s actions and even hinted at wider reforms. “The president recognises that FEMA should not exist in the way that it always has been,” she said. “It needs to be redeployed, in a new way, and that’s what we did during this response.” She added, “It’s not just FEMA that can respond in these situations. The federal government has all kinds of assets, and we deployed them.”

Noem, who has faced criticism in the past for her approach to immigration raids and is sometimes referred to by critics as “ICE Barbie”, has again found herself under fire for the government’s handling of a disaster.

'Playing politics': Kristi Noem slams ‘false’ report that FEMA ignored thousands of calls during Texas floods

Elon Musk claimed on Monday (Feb 10) that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated $59 million last week to luxury hotels in New York City to accommodate illegal migrants.
In an early morning post on X, US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/donald-trump" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Donald Trump's</a> aide said that the emergency funds had been "just discovered" by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His revelation came as Trump advocated for a complete restructuring of FEMA, even suggesting the agency could be disbanded.
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-elon-musks-doge-us-treasury-department-shakeup-could-be-biggest-security-breach-in-us-history-8704805" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Also read: &lsquo;Massive risks&rsquo;: How Elon Musk&rsquo;s Treasury shakeup could be &lsquo;biggest security breach in US history&rsquo;</a>
&ldquo;Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President&rsquo;s executive order,&rdquo; Musk wrote.
&ldquo;That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels for illegals,&rdquo; he continued.
&ldquo;A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,&rdquo; the billionaire added.
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hell-expose-billions-of-dollars-of-fraud-trump-defends-terrific-elon-musks-government-overhaul-8705625" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Also read: 'He'll expose billions of dollars of fraud': Trump defends 'terrific' Elon Musk&rsquo;s government overhaul</a>
Last month, President Trump issued an executive order establishing a council to examine FEMA&rsquo;s operations, citing &ldquo;serious concerns of political bias&rdquo; within the agency. The president has called for the council&rsquo;s first meeting within 90 days and expects to receive a report on its findings within 180 days of that initial gathering.
This came after Trump met with survivors of Hurricane Helene, many of whom remain homeless four months after the disaster. During this appearance, he floated the idea of a comprehensive overhaul of FEMA. Criticising the agency&rsquo;s effectiveness, Trump said that FEMA was &ldquo;not on the ball&hellip; and we&rsquo;re going to turn it all around.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/most-corrupt-least-competent-elon-musk-demands-impeachment-of-judge-who-blocked-doge-treasury-access-8705333" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Also read: &lsquo;Most corrupt, least competent&rsquo;: Elon Musk demands &lsquo;impeachment&rsquo; of judge who blocked DOGE&rsquo;s Treasury access</a>
Speaking at a roundtable with federal and local officials, the president announced plans to sign an executive order aimed at fundamentally reforming FEMA or potentially dismantling it altogether. &ldquo;I think, frankly, that FEMA&rsquo;s not good,&rdquo; he said.
Trump also accused the agency of mishandling emergency response efforts, arguing that federal aid should be provided directly to US states in the aftermath of disasters instead of being distributed through FEMA.
(With inputs from agencies)

World: In an early morning post on X, US President Donald Trump's aide said that the emergency funds had been "just discovered" by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Elon Musk claimed on Monday (Feb 10) that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated $59 million last week to luxury hotels in New York City to accommodate illegal migrants. In an early morning post on X, US President Donald Trump's aide said that the emergency funds had been "just discovered" by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His revelation came as Trump advocated for a complete restructuring of FEMA, even suggesting the agency could be disbanded. Also read: ‘Massive risks’: How Elon Musk’s Treasury shakeup could be ‘biggest security breach in US history’ “Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” Musk wrote. “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels for illegals,” he continued. “A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,” the billionaire added. Also read: 'He'll expose billions of dollars of fraud': Trump defends 'terrific' Elon Musk’s government overhaul Last month, President Trump issued an executive order establishing a council to examine FEMA’s operations, citing “serious concerns of political bias” within the agency. The president has called for the council’s first meeting within 90 days and expects to receive a report on its findings within 180 days of that initial gathering. This came after Trump met with survivors of Hurricane Helene, many of whom remain homeless four months after the disaster. During this appearance, he floated the idea of a comprehensive overhaul of FEMA. Criticising the agency’s effectiveness, Trump said that FEMA was “not on the ball… and we’re going to turn it all around.” Also read: ‘Most corrupt, least competent’: Elon Musk demands ‘impeachment’ of judge who blocked DOGE’s Treasury access Speaking at a roundtable with federal and local officials, the president announced plans to sign an executive order aimed at fundamentally reforming FEMA or potentially dismantling it altogether. “I think, frankly, that FEMA’s not good,” he said. Trump also accused the agency of mishandling emergency response efforts, arguing that federal aid should be provided directly to US states in the aftermath of disasters instead of being distributed through FEMA. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Gross insubordination’: Musk claims FEMA sent $59mn to luxury hotels to ‘house illegal migrants’

The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to 17 people across four states on Friday as rescuers, hampered by power and phone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to search devastated communities in the Florida Panhandle.

Searchers found one person dead in the rubble of Mexico Beach, said Joseph Zahralban, Miami's fire chief and the task force leader of a search and rescue unit. Three additional deaths were reported in Marianna, in Jackson County, Florida, Sheriff Lou Roberts told a news conference on Friday afternoon.

"I've watched on television, thinking of what others have experienced, like in the Carolinas and Texas," Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey told reporters. "But it's different when you walk down and see this, and your emotions run away. This is just a small unique coastal community."

The number of fatalities is expected to rise further as rescuers go door to door and comb through the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities such as Port St. Joe and Panama City.

"I think you're going to see it climb," Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said of the death count. "We still haven't gotten into some of the hardest-hit areas."

The dead include at least eight people in Florida, five in Virginia, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia.

FEMA crews have been using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to push a path through debris to allow rescuers to probe the rubble with specially trained search dogs.

Michael blew ashore near Mexico Beach on Wednesday afternoon as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history, with winds of up o 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour). It pushed a wall of seawater inland, causing widespread flooding.

The storm, which in less than two days grew from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, tore apart entire neighbourhoods in the Panhandle, reducing homes to naked concrete foundations or piles of wood and siding.

NO PHONE, INTERNET

Except for the emergency-911 system, authorities in Bay County, the epicentre of the disaster, were virtually without telephone or internet service until late in the day on Friday, making communications internally and with the public difficult.

"We didn't have anything," said Ruth Corley, a spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriff's Department. "We've been writing things down on pieces of paper. We're doing what we can with the minimal media that we have."

She said local television stations were knocked off the air for two days, and authorities were relying on the radio station of the Gulf Coast State College to broadcast public service bulletins.

She said search teams were going door-to-door looking for possible storm victims who may have been trapped or killed.

Bay County officials have previously said 56 people chose to stay back in Mexico Beach and search and rescue teams were trying to account for them.

Social media websites were filled with messages from people trying to reach missing family members in Florida's Bay and Gulf Counties.

Locals offered to go to addresses to see if houses had survived or if residents were there. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided a website with satellite images for people to check on the condition of homes.

REBUILD RIGHT

FEMA's Long urged communities such as Mexico Beach, where many homes were obliterated by 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 meters) of storm surge, to rebuild to withstand future storms.

"It's OK if you want to live on the coast or on top of a mountain that sees wildfires or whatever, but you have to build to a higher standard," he said. "If we're going to rebuild, do it right."

By Friday morning the remnants of the storm were located about 275 miles (445 km) southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts, with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles (100 km) per hour.

About one million homes and businesses were without power from Florida to Virginia on Friday, according to utility companies.

It could be weeks before power is restored to the most damaged parts of Florida.

The number of people in emergency shelters was expected to swell to 20,000 across five states by Friday, said Brad Kieserman of the American Red Cross. The Coast Guard reported rescuing 129 people.

Even as rescuers searched the rubble for survivors or the deceased, some residents of Mexico Beach were nervously trickling back on Friday, expressing hope the place, nicknamed "the Forgotten Coast," would not change too much as it rebuilds.

"It was the perfect beach town. Not all of that commercialism," said Dottie Sinclair, 57, a nurse, adding a Subway fast-food restaurant was the only commercial chain.

"I don't think it will ever be the same," said husband Danny Sinclair, 64, who is semi-retired. "People will just pack up and leave."

The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to 17 people across four states on Friday as rescuers, hampered by power and phone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to search devastated communities in the Florida Panhandle.

The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to 17 people across four states on Friday as rescuers, hampered by power and phone outages, used cadaver dogs, drones and heavy equipment to search devastated communities in the Florida Panhandle. Searchers found one person dead in the rubble of Mexico Beach, said Joseph Zahralban, Miami's fire chief and the task force leader of a search and rescue unit. Three additional deaths were reported in Marianna, in Jackson County, Florida, Sheriff Lou Roberts told a news conference on Friday afternoon. "I've watched on television, thinking of what others have experienced, like in the Carolinas and Texas," Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey told reporters. "But it's different when you walk down and see this, and your emotions run away. This is just a small unique coastal community." The number of fatalities is expected to rise further as rescuers go door to door and comb through the rubble in Mexico Beach and other Florida coastal communities such as Port St. Joe and Panama City. "I think you're going to see it climb," Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said of the death count. "We still haven't gotten into some of the hardest-hit areas." The dead include at least eight people in Florida, five in Virginia, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia. FEMA crews have been using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to push a path through debris to allow rescuers to probe the rubble with specially trained search dogs. Michael blew ashore near Mexico Beach on Wednesday afternoon as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history, with winds of up o 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour). It pushed a wall of seawater inland, causing widespread flooding. The storm, which in less than two days grew from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, tore apart entire neighbourhoods in the Panhandle, reducing homes to naked concrete foundations or piles of wood and siding. NO PHONE, INTERNET Except for the emergency-911 system, authorities in Bay County, the epicentre of the disaster, were virtually without telephone or internet service until late in the day on Friday, making communications internally and with the public difficult. "We didn't have anything," said Ruth Corley, a spokeswoman for the Bay County Sheriff's Department. "We've been writing things down on pieces of paper. We're doing what we can with the minimal media that we have." She said local television stations were knocked off the air for two days, and authorities were relying on the radio station of the Gulf Coast State College to broadcast public service bulletins. She said search teams were going door-to-door looking for possible storm victims who may have been trapped or killed. Bay County officials have previously said 56 people chose to stay back in Mexico Beach and search and rescue teams were trying to account for them. Social media websites were filled with messages from people trying to reach missing family members in Florida's Bay and Gulf Counties. Locals offered to go to addresses to see if houses had survived or if residents were there. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided a website with satellite images for people to check on the condition of homes. REBUILD RIGHT FEMA's Long urged communities such as Mexico Beach, where many homes were obliterated by 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 meters) of storm surge, to rebuild to withstand future storms. "It's OK if you want to live on the coast or on top of a mountain that sees wildfires or whatever, but you have to build to a higher standard," he said. "If we're going to rebuild, do it right." By Friday morning the remnants of the storm were located about 275 miles (445 km) southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts, with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles (100 km) per hour. About one million homes and businesses were without power from Florida to Virginia on Friday, according to utility companies. It could be weeks before power is restored to the most damaged parts of Florida. The number of people in emergency shelters was expected to swell to 20,000 across five states by Friday, said Brad Kieserman of the American Red Cross. The Coast Guard reported rescuing 129 people. Even as rescuers searched the rubble for survivors or the deceased, some residents of Mexico Beach were nervously trickling back on Friday, expressing hope the place, nicknamed "the Forgotten Coast," would not change too much as it rebuilds. "It was the perfect beach town. Not all of that commercialism," said Dottie Sinclair, 57, a nurse, adding a Subway fast-food restaurant was the only commercial chain. "I don't think it will ever be the same," said husband Danny Sinclair, 64, who is semi-retired. "People will just pack up and leave."

Hurricane death toll rises to 17 as search goes on in Florida

A tide of molten rock turned a Hawaii street into a volcanic wasteland on Friday as the number of homes destroyed by the erupting Kilauea volcano soared and authorities told residents to flee a surge of lava heading towards them.

The destructive fury of the erupting Kilauea volcano was unleashed on the Big Island's Leilani Estates housing development, with the number of homes and other structures destroyed leaping to 82 from a previous count of 50, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.&nbsp

Some 2,200 acres (890 hectares) of land have been torched by lava since May 3, in what is likely to be the most destructive eruption of Kilauea in more than a century, according to the County of Hawaii.&nbsp

"There were eight houses taken on this road in 12 hours," Ikaika Marzo said in a Facebook video as he stood on Kaupuli street and showed a black, glass-like lava field where his cousin`s house previously stood.

Magma spewed from 100-foot-high (30-meter-high) cinder cones and formed elevated ponds of molten rock that were expected to soon overflow and stream into the next rows of homes - Kahukai Street and Mohala Street. Firefighters went door to door evacuating residents before the lava arrived.

"It's this tide of lava that rises up and overflows itself on the edges and keeps rising and progressing forward," US&nbspGeological Survey geologist Wendy Stovall told journalists on a conference call.

Around 37 structures are already "lava locked," meaning homes are inaccessible, and people who do not evacuate may be trapped by lava flows.

"Any residents remaining in the current affected areas should evacuate now," Hawaii County Civil Defense said in an alert.

Magma is draining underground from a sinking lava lake at Kilauea`s 4,091-foot (1,247-meter) summit before flowing around 25 miles (40 km) east and bursting from giant cracks, with two flows reaching the ocean just over three miles (5 km) distant.

Stovall declined to comment on lava volume being emitted. Marzo said he was told by a USGS geologist there was much more to come from Kilauea.

"What has been coming out is just a small fraction of what was in the volcano," he said.

Though lava destruction from the volcano is confined to a roughly 10-square-mile (26-sq-km) area, the eruption is hurting the island`s tourist-driven economy as potential visitors fear ashfall or volcanic smog belching from Kilauea's summit.

Visitor numbers to the Connecticut-sized island so far in 2018 are "trending a little bit lower" than 2017, with the cancellation of some port visits by cruise ships expected to have a $3 million impact, Ross Birch, head of the island`s tourism board said on a conference call.

A tide of molten rock turned a Hawaii street into a volcanic wasteland on Friday as the number of homes destroyed by the erupting Kilauea volcano soared and authorities told residents to flee a surge of lava heading towards them

A tide of molten rock turned a Hawaii street into a volcanic wasteland on Friday as the number of homes destroyed by the erupting Kilauea volcano soared and authorities told residents to flee a surge of lava heading towards them. The destructive fury of the erupting Kilauea volcano was unleashed on the Big Island's Leilani Estates housing development, with the number of homes and other structures destroyed leaping to 82 from a previous count of 50, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some 2,200 acres (890 hectares) of land have been torched by lava since May 3, in what is likely to be the most destructive eruption of Kilauea in more than a century, according to the County of Hawaii. "There were eight houses taken on this road in 12 hours," Ikaika Marzo said in a Facebook video as he stood on Kaupuli street and showed a black, glass-like lava field where his cousin`s house previously stood. Magma spewed from 100-foot-high (30-meter-high) cinder cones and formed elevated ponds of molten rock that were expected to soon overflow and stream into the next rows of homes - Kahukai Street and Mohala Street. Firefighters went door to door evacuating residents before the lava arrived. "It's this tide of lava that rises up and overflows itself on the edges and keeps rising and progressing forward," US&nbspGeological Survey geologist Wendy Stovall told journalists on a conference call. Around 37 structures are already "lava locked," meaning homes are inaccessible, and people who do not evacuate may be trapped by lava flows. "Any residents remaining in the current affected areas should evacuate now," Hawaii County Civil Defense said in an alert. Magma is draining underground from a sinking lava lake at Kilauea`s 4,091-foot (1,247-meter) summit before flowing around 25 miles (40 km) east and bursting from giant cracks, with two flows reaching the ocean just over three miles (5 km) distant. Stovall declined to comment on lava volume being emitted. Marzo said he was told by a USGS geologist there was much more to come from Kilauea. "What has been coming out is just a small fraction of what was in the volcano," he said. Though lava destruction from the volcano is confined to a roughly 10-square-mile (26-sq-km) area, the eruption is hurting the island`s tourist-driven economy as potential visitors fear ashfall or volcanic smog belching from Kilauea's summit. Visitor numbers to the Connecticut-sized island so far in 2018 are "trending a little bit lower" than 2017, with the cancellation of some port visits by cruise ships expected to have a $3 million impact, Ross Birch, head of the island`s tourism board said on a conference call.

Hawaii street swallowed by 'lava tide' as many more homes burn