As Texas faces one of the deadliest floods in 25 years, the head of FEMA — the very agency tasked with emergency response — is nowhere in sight. David Richardson, Trump’s acting FEMA administrator, has not visited a single disaster site in the past week, even as more than 120 people have been confirmed dead across southern Texas.

The absence has sent shockwaves through emergency management circles, with some calling it a total abdication of leadership. In years past, FEMA administrators were expected to be visible, coordinating closely with state and local authorities. But Richardson, a Trump appointee who once admitted he didn’t know the U.S. had a hurricane season, has maintained complete radio silence.

“Richardson, on the other hand, is invisible,” wrote columnist Jarvis DeBerry, comparing the current FEMA chief to Mike Brown of the Bush-era Hurricane Katrina debacle. “Even Brown, as ineffective as he was, showed up. Richardson hasn’t even done that.”

The floods, which have devastated communities in Texas, New Mexico, and North Carolina, have sparked a nationwide outcry. Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told MSNBC she was alarmed by Richardson’s absence. “He has no experience,” she said. “And while that’s deeply troubling, it’s almost a relief that he isn’t getting in the way of seasoned professionals.”

But the lack of leadership may go beyond incompetence. It may be part of a broader plan. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — who oversees FEMA — is openly calling for the agency to be dismantled. In a video address to the FEMA Review Council in New Orleans, she declared, “This entire agency needs to be eliminated and remade.”

Ironically, Richardson did appear in New Orleans this week — not to address flood victims, but to attend the very meeting where Noem laid out her plan to gut FEMA. According to reports, Richardson didn’t say a word during the entire session, only offering a polite greeting when introduced.

Meanwhile, back in Texas, the devastation grows. Emergency workers say the delayed deployment of FEMA rescue teams — which took Noem three days to authorize — cost lives. “Every hour matters in a disaster like this,” said one responder. “We needed FEMA immediately. Instead, we got silence.”

Noem, whose portfolio includes ICE raids, the southern border, and overseas prison inspections, has been accused of spreading herself too thin. “You need a FEMA head whose only job is the disaster,” Criswell warned. “Noem is too busy playing politics to lead.”

Her critics also note that her priorities seem badly misplaced. After briefly visiting Texas, Noem held a press conference — not to discuss relief — but to talk about removing airport shoe checks and limiting foreign investment in farmland. On Wednesday, she met with Qatari officials about the 2026 World Cup.

Former FEMA chief of staff Michael Coen summed up the frustration: “Governors around the country are watching this and realizing they can’t count on Richardson — or the federal government — when disaster strikes.”

As the waters recede and the death toll climbs, the question now isn’t just whether FEMA failed. It’s whether it was set up to fail.

And if so, who’s going to pay the price? Because in Texas, the people already have.