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HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 23: Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, left, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speak to members of the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board about the newspaper’s coverage of Hurricane Beryl on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at

AUSTIN – A Texas government source told FOX Local on Tuesday the headquarters for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be moving to Texas, and it is something officials have been considering for a few weeks. 

The Texas source also said that Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd could be the new leader of FEMA.

President Donald Trump has publicly called for an overhaul of FEMA, expressing his desire for emergency management to be mostly handled by the states.

Why will there be a new FEMA leader?

Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson resigned Monday after six months on the job. He was placed in the position after Administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. 

In a House Transportation Committee hearing following the deadly flooding in Texas in July, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., told Richardson: “You’re the leader, but you did not lead, as you are required to by federal law. But worse, you seem uninterested to learn what went wrong and how to respond.” 

FEMA is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C.

TDEM Chief Nim Kidd

This isn’t the first time Kidd has been approached about leading FEMA. During the Kerrville floods, he commented on it and said he was flattered, but he was committed to Texas.

In February, Trump interviewed Kidd to run FEMA. In April, Kidd acknowledged the interview but declined the position. 

What they’re saying:

At the time, Kidd addressed the rumors in a post on LinkedIn in April, saying that he is “committed to serving Texas first.” You can read his full statement below:

I want to start by thanking all of you who have reached out over the weekend in reference to the Politico article about me. Your support and encouragement is humbling and I am honored to serve alongside each of you.

While there is some truth in the statement that I have had conversations with President Trump and his administration about the future of FEMA, I am committed to serving Texas first.

This legislative session, there is an opportunity in front of us to make funding and policy decisions that will save countless lives, protect property and livelihoods, and positively impact our state’s disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts for the next 50 years and beyond.

Working with the Texas Legislature, we are on track to build much-needed emergency preparedness resource staging areas to support all 254 counties, to secure a small fleet of aircraft dedicated to firefighting in and for Texas, and to build the first ever statewide radio system for all first responders that will truly give us operable and interoperable communications across the state of Texas.

I am eternally grateful to Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, Speaker Burrows, and all Members of the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, and Chancellor Sharp. Over the last 6 years, State Executive leadership and the Texas Legislature have been strong proponents of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. I am grateful for their leadership and dedication to protecting Texans, our economy, and our values.

I appreciate President Trump and his Administration, and as discussed in our meetings, I am committed to working together to create the very best possible version of FEMA to support the American people.

However, my work in Texas is not done, and I remain committed to serving the men and women of TDEM as they prove every day they are the best in the business and truly dedicated public servants. I am honored to work alongside each of them.

My family and I are life-long Texans. This is our home. And for now, this is where we will stay.

God Bless Texas. God Bless the United States of America.

Where will FEMA HQ be located?

It is unclear where the FEMA HQ would be located if it were to move to Texas. However, Kidd lives in Austin with his family. 

Currently, FEMA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 10 regional offices across the country.

Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands.Region 3: Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, District of Columbia, West Virginia.Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee.Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin.Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska.Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming.Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia.Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Who is Nim Kidd?

Dig deeper:

In his capacity as TDEM director, Kidd is responsible for the state’s emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation activities. Prior to serving with TDEM, Kidd was appointed to the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD), where he was promoted through the ranks from firefighter to District Fire Chief, including Lieutenant in charge of the SAFD Technical Rescue Team and Captain of the SAFD Hazardous Materials Response Team.

From 2004 to 2010, Kidd served as City Emergency Manager for the City of San Antonio, where he managed the city’s response to over a dozen state and presidential disaster declarations. In 1997, Kidd was one of the original members appointed to the Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team. In 2001, he was the Plans Section Chief that responded to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Kidd formerly served as chair for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Advisory Council (NAC). Kidd holds a Masters of Public Administration from Texas State University, a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and two associates’ degrees. He is the Vice Chancellor for Disaster and Emergency Services for The Texas A&M University System. He is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®), a Texas Master Firefighter, and holds Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical Technician certifications.

The Source: Information in this article is from Texas government sources, previous FOX Local coverage, LinkedIn and Kidd’s biography on the TDEM website.

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