Disaster agency in US Homeland Security department hacked, 23 employees fired: What department secretary said

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Kristi Noem has announced an IT breach at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the nation’s disaster response organisation. Noem blamed the incident on the agency's staff and claimed she had fired two dozen employees as a result.

According to a report by news agency Reuters, Noem offered few specifics on the nature of the breach, but asserted that it threatened "the entire Department and the nation as a whole." At the same time, she stated that "no American citizens were directly impacted" and that "no sensitive data was extracted from any DHS networks."

DHS secretary blames staff for hacking
In her statement, Noem devoted nine paragraphs to criticising FEMA’s IT staff, accusing them of "failure," "neglect," "incompetence," and dishonesty. She claimed that 23 employees had been terminated as a result of the hack.

The news of the breach and the reported mass firing follows an open letter of dissent signed by numerous current and former FEMA employees. The letter, which was sent to Congress, warned that the inexperience of top appointees under President Donald Trump's administration could lead to a catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the report added.

Trump has previously stated his desire to eliminate FEMA and instead distribute federal disaster money through his own office.

As the peak of hurricane season approaches, FEMA has extended a hiring freeze through the end of the year, according to three sources familiar with the matter, Reuters noted. A FEMA spokesperson stated on Friday (August 29) that the agency “is committed to ensuring FEMA delivers for the American people”.