The agenda includes 18 legislative priorities determined by Gov. Greg Abbott, including addressing the Central Texas floods, regulating THC and redistricting.

But Noem had severely botched FEMA’s Texas response by failing to renew contracts with companies staffing FEMA call centers, resulting in a majority of calls going unanswered for days as the flood waters raged. The secretary dismissed the reporting as “fake news.”

Governor Abbott of Texas seeks additional federal aid following floods, aiming to include Hamilton and Travis counties in the Major Disaster Declaration for recovery support.

Forecasters warn that slow-moving storms could bring heavy downpours to already saturated areas, increasing the risk of flash flooding.

A special session of the Texas Legislature will address the deadly floods in Hill Country, but the fireworks will come from President Trump’s demand for a newly gerrymandered House map.

Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill in the regular legislative session that would have improved local governments’ emergency communications infrastructure.

Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.

Kristi Noem detailed how the federal government deployed resources and funds to Texas flood victims, signaling fundamental changes to FEMA under the Trump administration.

The state department has said it had teams in place in Kerr County the day before the flooding. They won't say who was in charge.

Even before dozens died in flood waters on July 4, Texas ranked first in the U.S. in number of deaths due to natural disasters.

The devastation from the catastrophic July 4 weekend flooding in Kerr County, Texas, has killed at least 132 people and left more than 170 missing.