A federal employee has been fired for directing a disaster relief team to avoid homes displaying signs supporting Donald Trump after Hurricane Milton in Florida.
The incident occurred on October 27 at homes near Lake Placid.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is investigating how many homes were skipped due to the employee’s orders, CNN reported
Deanne Criswell, the administrator for FEMA, called the employee’s actions “reprehensible” in an interview with CNN.
A FEMA spokesperson said in a statement that the agency is “horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation, and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels.”
A new disaster relief team was deployed Friday to contact families who may not have been reached earlier.
The spokesperson emphasized that FEMA’s goal is to “help all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation.”
FEMA last helped with relief efforts for Hurricane Milton, a major category 3 storm. Eighty-eight people were killed when Hurricane Helene hit. The head of FEMA blamed Helene’s “historic flooding” on climate change.
