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.

Under questioning from Democrats on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Mr. Richardson said FEMA’s response to the Texas floods represented a “model” for “how disasters should be handled.

Urban Search and Rescue Chief Ken Pagurek quit over a new policy that led to delays in FEMA's response to the flooding in Texas on July 4, sources said.

Testimony will be heard from those in charge of managing rivers as well as emergency managers and first responders about the flash flooding that killed at least 135 people.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and county authorities have largely evaded questions about local officials' actions in the hours before disaster struck.