FEMA search and rescue chief resigns after frustration with Texas flood response
Ken Pagurek's departure comes less than three weeks after a delayed FEMA response to catastrophic flooding in central Texas caused by bureaucratic hurdles put in place by the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the disaster response agency.
Pagurek told colleagues at FEMA that the delay was the tipping point that led to his voluntary departure after months of frustration with the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the agency, according to two sources familiar with his thinking. It took more than 72 hours after the flooding for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to authorize the deployment of FEMA's search and rescue network.
After spending more than a decade with FEMA's urban search and rescue system, including about a year as its chief, Pagurek said in his resignation letter, obtained by CNN, that he was returning to the Philadelphia Fire Department and did not mention the Texas flooding.
'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.'
The Department of Homeland Security has defended its response to the Texas floods. A department spokesperson stressed that Noem initially tapped into other DHS assets, including rescue teams from the US Coast Guard and Border Patrol, and over time, as a need for FEMA resources arose, those requests received the secretary's approval.
Some FEMA officials have balked at sweeping changes to FEMA under the Trump administration, more than a dozen agency officials have told CNN, which they believe have stripped the agency of its autonomy and undermined its ability to respond to disasters quickly and efficiently.
Pagurek joins dozens of high-ranking officials to leave FEMA since Trump took office, as the agency undergoes a major overhaul and faces plummeting morale and a brain drain from the departure of longtime leaders.
Established by Congress in the early 1990s, FEMA's urban search and rescue system, or US&R, includes a network of 28 highly trained state-managed teams stationed across the country, ready to rapidly deploy to a wide range of disasters – from collapsed buildings to catastrophic storms.
Annual congressional funding ensures these task forces are equipped for the nation's worst emergencies and paid when FEMA deploys them – though local fire departments and emergency management offices house and staff the crews and maintain their readiness.
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