The head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch, which runs a network of teams stationed across the country that can swiftly respond to natural disasters, resigned on Monday.

After the devastating and deadly July 4 floods in the Hill Country, emergency response became the priority for the Texas legislature's special session.

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.

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.

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.”

State and local officials said they did their best to coordinate evacuations and rescues, but better cellphone service might help in future floods.

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

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.