The Department of Homeland Security said it has terminated three FEMA employees and changed agency procedures following a report by the Office of Inspector General that found FEMA personnel denied disaster assistance to some households in Florida based on political signage during the response to Hurricane Milton.
The OIG report, titled "FEMA Disaster Response Crew Violated Law and Policy by Skipping Homes with Political Signage," documented the incidents from federal disaster response work, according to a DHS statement. The agency said FEMA had already investigated the conduct internally and taken action.
"This swift action by leadership showed the workforce that bias toward survivors was reprehensible, intolerable, and not conducive to employment at FEMA," DHS said in a statement.
FEMA also changed its disaster response procedures, moving away from FEMA-led door-to-door outreach. Staff now provide support to survivors from fixed locations determined by state and local officials, according to the agency.