"Kristi Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN.”

The claim states that Kristi Noem did not authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, according to multiple sources cited by CNN. The search results provide consistent information supporting this claim. CNN Politics reports that Noem, as Homeland Security Secretary overseeing FEMA, implemented a policy requiring her personal sign-off on contracts and grants over $100,000, which slowed the release of funds and response efforts.

Raw Story explicitly states that Noem did not authorize the deployment of FEMA urban search-and-rescue teams until more than 72 hours after the crisis began, citing CNN as the source. Other sources such as Mediaite and Debate Politics echo this delay and attribute it to Noem’s cost control policies. NBC News provides context about Noem exerting more direct control over FEMA but does not contradict the timeline of the delay.

While the exact timing (Monday) aligns with the reported delay of over 72 hours, the sources do not provide a direct quote from Noem or FEMA confirming the precise timing but rely on multiple reports citing internal sources. Therefore, the claim is mostly true based on available reporting but lacks direct official confirmation in these excerpts.