FEMA Fires Employee for Telling Milton Relief Workers to Skip Houses With Trump Signs

The agency said it was investigating the incident in the aftermath of the Category 3 hurricane that hit Florida in October.

An employee with the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fired after reports that in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the employee told relief workers in Florida to pass over houses with signs supporting Donald J. Trump, the agency said Saturday.

The agency confirmed that an employee had advised her survivor assistance team not to go to homes with yard signs supporting Mr. Trump during rescue efforts after Milton hit the state last month as a Category 3 hurricane. FEMA said the employee, whose name was not revealed, has now been terminated. It said that it believed this was an isolated incident, which is now under investigation.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of FEMA, said in a statement that the employee’s conduct was “reprehensible.”

“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation,” she said.

Ms. Criswell added that the agency has referred the matter to an internal counsel’s office and that she will do everything she can to make sure this never happens again.

“I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA, and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct,” she said.