The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has reportedly suspended a number of staff who criticised the agency's direction under US President Donald Trump.
The staff are said to have been among those who recently signed an open letter that castigated Trump officials over cuts and alleged interference, warning that another "national catastrophe" akin to Hurricane Katrina was possible.
More than 20 employees were told on Tuesday that they had been put on administrative leave, according to sources who spoke to the BBC's US partner, CBS News. The BBC has asked Fema for comment.
There has been renewed scrutiny of US disaster readiness after recent deadly flooding in Texas.
Trump set about drastically overhauling the disaster-management agency soon after returning to office in January, when he mooted the idea of "maybe getting rid of Fema" altogether.
