FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns

Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'

A FEMA truck sits in floodwaters on the Beltway 8 feeder road in Houston on August 30, 2017, as the fourth-largest city in the US battled with tropical storm Harvey and resulting floods.
The recent Texas floods, which left more than 100 people dead, were Pagurek's 'final straw'
(Image credit: Thomas Shea / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Urban Search and Rescue unit, Ken Pagurek, has left the organization, citing "chaos" at the agency, said The New York Times. Pagurek had served in FEMA's USR division for more than a decade.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.