The flash floods that killed at least 135 people in Texas' Hill Country was the main topic during the opening of a special legislative session in the state on Monday.

About 100 people gathered outside the Governor’s Mansion to demand that Abbott prioritize floods over hot-button issues during special session.

The decision was likely in part due to the agency's delayed response to the flooding disaster in Central Texas. Senior FEMA leader Ken Pagurek told colleagues this was the last straw after months of frustration over President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to eliminate the agency,

The head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch, which runs a network of teams stationed across the country that can swiftly respond to natural disasters, resigned on Monday.