Multiple urban search and rescue teams from across the country that responded to the deadly floods in central Texas told CNN they were not deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency until at least Monday evening — days after any victim had been found alive.

The New York Times reports that FEMA failed to answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line in the days following deadly floods in central Texas.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not answer thousands of calls made to its disaster assistance line after deadly flooding in Texas, documents reviewed by the New York Times show. A person "briefed on the matter" who spoke to the Times anonymously said this was because the agency fired hundreds of contractors at call