Head of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue reportedly resigns over frustration at Texas flood response

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Urban Search and Rescue branch has resigned over his frustration with the agency’s sluggish response to this month’s catastrophic Central Texas floods, CNN reports.

Sources within FEMA told CNN that Ken Pagurek, a longtime agency employee and chief of its nationwide rapid-response unit, stepped down over the 72-hour delay in the force’s deployment to assist in the wake of floods that have so far claimed at least 135 lives.

The agency’s delay was the result of new cost-control measures implemented by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Those rules require her to personally sign off on every expenditure over $100,000. Though Noem was photographed visiting the devastated Texas Hill Country on Saturday, July 5, the day after the flooding, the agency’s rapid response force wasn’t deployed until Monday, July 7.

In comments to CNN, DHS officials criticized Pagurek’s reported reason for resigning and defended Noem’s cost-control mandate as a step toward responsible fiscal management.

“It is laughable that a career public employee, who claims to serve the American people, would choose to resign over our refusal to hastily approve a six-figure deployment contract without basic financial oversight,” a DHS spokesman told CNN in a statement. “We’re being responsible with taxpayer dollars, that’s our job.”

Pagurek’s resignation comes as some Kerrville residents express their dissatisfaction with the FEMA response. Some are accusing the agency of offering relief payouts that are paltry compared to the scale of the devastation, according to a KSAT report.

One Kerrville resident received just $50 to replace his vehicle, according to the TV station. Others said FEMA denied their claims entirely.

In his resignation letter, Pagurek didn’t mention the Central Texas flood as a reason for his departure. However, CNN’s FEMA sources said his frustration grew in recent months as the Trump White House publicly threatened to defund the agency.

After more than a decade with FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue and a year as its chief, Pagurek plans to return to his former job with the Philadelphia Fire Department, according to the resignation letter obtained by CNN.

“This decision was not made lightly, and after much reflection and prayer, it is the right path for me at this time,” Pagurek wrote. “I have been continually inspired by the unwavering dedication, unmatched courage, and deep-seated commitment we share for saving lives and bringing hope in the face of devastation.”

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This article appears in Jul 10-23, 2025.