Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not authorize the deployment of Federal Emergency Management Agency urban search-and-rescue teams in the Texas Hill Country flood disaster until more than 72 hours after the crisis began, CNN reported on Wednesday.This follows rule changes th...
This is correct, as a federal entity, FEMA will only show up after being invited by the governor of the state that needs assistance. Thats why search+rescue is usually handled by local authorities and FEMA focuses on clean up, logistics, and rebuilding. This does not exclude them from assisting with S+R, but they will almost never be the first ones on scene.