The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is pushing back on criticisms of the federal response to the central Texas floods that killed at least 136 people earlier this month.

Kidd responded by explaining that, at the state level, his team acts as the “alarm bell” when receiving information from the National Weather Service. At the county or city level, there’s no system in place to guarantee someone is awake or receiving that same information in real time.

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.

Weeks before flash floods devastated the Texas Hill Country, Gov. Greg Abbott participated in the first meeting of a new council to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He criticized FEMA as “slow and clunky,” arguing that states are able to respond “more nimbly, more swiftly, more effectively” to disasters.

A New York Times report found thousands of calls to FEMA went unanswered after the Department of Homeland Security laid off call center workers.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National ... or vacant positions impacted the emergency response in Texas, ... any staffing issues or other concerns related to FEMA, ...