In the days after the devastating Texas flash flood, a conspiracy theory quickly arose on whether cloud seeding could have been a factor in the devastation. First reported by the Houston Chronicle, cloud seeding involves releasing silver iodide into clouds to increase rainfall under specific conditions.

PolitiFact | Cloud seeding could not have caused the disaster because the process increases precipitation only by a small amount, experts said.

FEMA staff have also been answering phones at a disaster call center, where, according to one agency official, callers have faced longer wait times as the agency awaited Noem’s approval for a

Sources have said FEMA wasn’t authorized to launch search and rescue teams until 72 hours after flooding began.