WASHINGTON D.C., DC — After the devastating Fourth of July flooding in Kerr County that claimed the lives of 137 people, FEMA is under intense scrutiny from members of Congress over its response to the disaster, including claims that thousands of calls from survivors went unanswered in the critical days that followed.

Former FEMA official Jeremy Edwards joined Morning Joe after the resignation of the agency’s Urban Search and Rescue chief, who reportedly quit over the Trump administration’s delayed response to deadly flooding in Texas.

As contaminated Guadalupe River water receded following the deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas, this month, residents returned to find their homes, vehicles and businesses destroyed.

Several states and two Native American tribes waited months for disaster aid, while hundreds of requests for critical emergency services remain on hold.

David Richardson, the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, defended the Trump administration’s handling of the recent catastrophic floods in Texas, insisting to members of Congress on Wednesday that recent policy changes did not slow the government’s response.

Congressional scrutiny comes as Trump administration conducts evaluation of FEMA and works to % identify any shortcomings.

The head of FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue branch, Ken Pagurek, has resigned due to frustration over the agency's response to the flooding in Central Texas, sources say.

The head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch, which runs a network of teams stationed across the country that can swiftly respond to natural disasters, resigned on Monday.

A bill Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed in 2019 could have increased participation in phone-based emergency warning systems, according to experts and the bill’s