'Rescuers flying blind' after Midwest tornadoes as Noem’s DHS lets $200,000 contract lapse

FEMA insiders have been warning that outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Noem’s policies are hampering operations and their ability to respond to disasters.

The consequence of that may be lives lost. Delayed contract approvals has “slowed FEMA’s ability to pre-position crucial search-and-rescue teams, left call centers understaffed, and delayed the sharing of data with state partners,” CNN reports.

When tornadoes hit the Midwest and Plains last weekend, state and local search-and-rescue crews had to work without a critical tornado-tracking tool typically provided by FEMA. The tool follows a storm’s destructive path and allows rescuers to quickly reach those most affected.

The $200,000 contract for that crucial tool was sitting on a desk awaiting approval, leaving rescue teams literally guessing on where storms had the worst impact.

CNN reports “thousands of FEMA spending requests” have stalled between Noem and FEMA acting chief Karen Evans. “Many have been slashed, others have sat for months,” sources claim and documents show.

Noem is scheduled to leave her position atop DHS at the end of March. For now, her team continues to oversee FEMA’s operations.

Beyond Noem's tight spending policies, the government shutdown has stalled activity at the DHS, which oversees FEMA. Noem directed FEMA to scale back to “bare-minimum, live-saving operations only.”

In a follow-up email to the agency’s regional leaders, FEMA’s Karen Evans wrote that “all activities at FEMA need to cease.”

Much of FEMA’s work usually continues during government shutdowns. That’s because it’s tied to the Disaster Relief Fund, a pot of money Congress provides for disasters and emergencies.

This time, staffers were told there were only four exceptions to the no-work edict: things tied to President Trump’s State of the Union address, response to winter storms, meetings on the upcoming World Cup and Olympics, and “Nuclear activities.”

“People are being told not to even open their computers,” a high-ranking FEMA official said to CNN about their regional office. “It’s the most appalling experience of my professional life.”

“It’s a huge waste of time and taxpayer money for no reason, just to make the impact of the shutdown more significant,” another FEMA official said to CNN.

Meanwhile, Noem and the Trump administration blame Democrats for the DHS shutdown. Democrats support standalone funding for several agencies, including FEMA, but face Republican opposition.

A task force to help reform FEMA is set to present its final list of recommendations in the coming weeks.