Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Kerrville City Manager’s ‘Homeland Barbie’ Texts Intensify Criticism of Noem’s Flood Response

The leaked texts expose local frustration with her high-profile appearances, spurring a DHS probe into emergency-approval rules.

Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • Private texts from Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice show him calling Secretary Noem “Homeland Barbie” hours after a July 5 flood press conference.
  • The leaked messages have heightened criticism of Noem’s handling of early July’s Guadalupe River floods that claimed 138 lives.
  • Independent reports find that rule changes requiring Noem’s personal sign-off delayed FEMA first responders by roughly three days.
  • Critics point to local refusal to fund a siren warning system along the Guadalupe River as a factor in the region’s high death toll.
  • The Department of Homeland Security has launched a review of its emergency approval protocols and interagency coordination.