http://www.nola.com Search NOLA.com: ___________________________ Submit Home News Weather Sports Entertainment Living Interact Jobs Autos Real Estate Classifieds Place an Ad * News * Elections & Politics * Business * Opinions * Northshore * Obituaries * Katrina Archive * Videos & Photos * Your Photos * Your Videos Latest Metro New Orleans news: Updated 24 hours, every day Latest Metro New Orleans News Updated 24 hours, every day BREAKING NEWS UPDATES • Sports News • Business News • Crime News • Living News • Entertainment News • North Shore News Browse Metro news updates by day posted: [Select a date....] GO >> __________________________________________________________ Browse Metro news updates by week posted: [Select a date..........................] GO >> GET NEWS YOUR WAY Receive news updates to your inbox or mobile device • Sign up for breaking newsletters • Add to Technorati Favorites • [twitter-bird.gif] Follow NOLA.com on Twitter • What's Twitter? TIMES-PICAYUNE PHOTOS Hornets Lose to Lakers 100-87 Hornets Lose to Lakers 100-87 ALL TIMES-PICAYUNE PHOTOS » TIMES-PICAYUNE VIDEO Behind the scenes of 'Benjamin Button' - Day 6 Behind the scenes of 'Benjamin Button' - Day 6 Behind the scenes of 'Benjamin Button' - Day 1 (Extended!) Behind the scenes of 'Benjamin Button' - Day 5 Man Shoots Store Clerk on Tape Behind the scenes of 'Benjamin Button' - Day 4 ALL TIMES-PICAYUNE VIDEOS » ADVERTISEMENT FEMA data on Katrina evacuees leaked by Gwen Filosa, The Times-Picayune Tuesday December 23, 2008, 9:39 PM Add one more bit of anxiety to the lives of Louisianians who fled to Texas to escape Hurricane Katrina: the threat of identity theft, an unexpected byproduct of handing over personal information to FEMA. FEMA has confirmed that an "unauthorized breach of private information" resulted in the information release of 16,857 names, Social Security and phone numbers, and other private details of people who had applied for benefits. The information was flashed on a pair of privately run Web sites, but for how long was unclear. Nearly all the affected individuals lived in Louisiana at the time of the storm. In a news release, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the data had been turned over to a Texas state agency, which it believes is responsible for an error that placed the data in the wrong hands. An investigation is under way, and federal officials haven't named the state agency or Web sites. A FEMA applicant alerted the federal agency after finding his or her information posted on the Web, officials said. On Friday, FEMA announced that last week it had "swiftly contacted" a pair of Web sites holding the private information and had it removed from public view. The information was assembled in 16,857 lines of data assembled on a spreadsheet. "FEMA believes that most of the applicant information posted on the Web sites was properly released by FEMA to a state agency which requested and received this information to fulfill routine needs following Hurricane Katrina, " FEMA said. The 16,857 applicants were people who evacuated to Texas, and of that number, 16,372 were originally from Louisiana, officials said. "We don't know where they are now, " said FEMA spokeswoman Debra Young. FEMA said it regrets the information was posted but insisted that it followed provisions of the federal Privacy Act in transferring the information to the Texas agency. There have been no confirmed reports of identity theft as a result of the temporary posting of the information, but FEMA said it isn't taking chances. The agency said it will try to call all 16,857 applicants to inform them of the postings, and that telephone notification will be followed by formal letters. FEMA also will provide a free 18-month subscription to an "identify theft protection service" for the affected applicants. The service will provide identity theft insurance and help with fraud resolution. . . . . . . . Gwen Filosa can be reached at gfilosa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3304. Send To A Friend Send To A Friend | Print Print this | Permalink Reddit Reddit Digg Digg del.icio.us del.icio.us Google Google Facebook Facebook COMMENTS (4)Post a comment Posted by ignatiusyes on 12/23/08 at 9:54PM FEMA is hopeless. FEMA's incompetence is light years worse than Nagin's administration's incompetence. Inappropriate? Alert us. [comments.gif] Post a comment Posted by DunesRiver on 12/23/08 at 10:13PM FEMA comes under the auspices of George W. (Heckuva job, Brownie) Bush. Ray Magin has nothing to do with it. Blame Bush. Inappropriate? Alert us. [comments.gif] Post a comment Posted by ignatiusyes on 12/23/08 at 10:22PM DunesRiver, even you can admit that Nagin's administration has been plagued by incompetence? I voted for him twice, but I have been very, very disappointed in this second term. Inappropriate? Alert us. [comments.gif] Post a comment Posted by blkgurl on 12/23/08 at 10:52PM Great. I evacuated to Texas and filed for FEMA. Now I gotta get another credit report to make sure no one has stolen my identity. I am past the point outrage and disgust with FEMA. Now I'm just numb. Inappropriate? Alert us. [comments.gif] Post a comment Username (Don't Have a Username? Sign up here): ______________________________ Password: ______________________________ [_] Remember Me Login Reset Welcome back, ! Comments: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Post Real-time News headlines • Crane operator hospitalized after falling into Lake Pontchartain from new twin spans 9:50 PM • FEMA data on Katrina evacuees leaked 9:39 PM • Holiday shopping picking up as season winds down 9:36 PM • Compromise reached to allow Mid-City New Year's Eve bonfire 8:40 PM • The Los Angeles Lakers take on the New Orleans Hornets 8:19 PM • Worker hospitalized after incident at I-10 twin spans construction site 3:00 PM More: Real-Time News » Most Commented on NOLA.com The stories you're talking about 181 comments Mid-City residents take on police and fire officials to keep New Year's bonfire alive 165 comments SDT billed city for trash pickup at more than double the number of sites in its service area, report finds 112 comments Two killed, one wounded in Algiers shooting 80 comments Mayor Ray Nagin blames FEMA for underpaying for recovery projects 65 comments Man threatened homicide witness at court, cops say 58 comments Three arrested in Metairie home invasion 56 comments Report shows garbage billing descrepancies, but not where originally believed 52 comments St. Tammany President Kevin Davis seeks term limit exemption 52 comments Jefferson Parish deputy crashes car into Kenner day care center 48 comments Crimestoppers offers $15,000 reward for information in murder of Metairie man killed in Harvey CRIME NEWS Interactive crime map Local crime reports updated daily • New Orleans • Interactive homicide map • NOPD crime alerts • East Jefferson • St. Bernard • St. Tammany • St. Charles & St. John • West Bank NEWS FORUMS Sound Off • morman republican by unforgiven5 • no surprise by unforgiven5 • My RW neighbor's car by unforgiven5 Orleans Parish • Ho, Ho, Ho, by SirrK • Where's George: money by RichiLover • What? by sandecaligal St. Tammany Parish • Tell me why Mandeville by oldpelican • tax by L2fish • Where's George: money by RichiLover Jefferson Parish • Tell me why Mandeville by oldpelican • tax by L2fish • Where's George: money by RichiLover Crime & Safety • Hey loyno read this by narcguy • Crime fighting skills... by narcguy • Poofers have problems by CRJULoyno MORE FORUMS » Advance Internet NOLA.com Site Map | RSS | Advertise | Contact Search NOLA.com: ____________________ Submit Home | News | Weather | Sports | Entertainment | Interact | Jobs | Autos | Real Estate | Classifieds | Place an Ad Subscribe to the Times-Picayune Subscribe to The Times-Picayune today and get incredible savings off home delivery! Subscribe Now! © 2008 New Orleans Net LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement. Please read our Privacy Policy. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Contact interactivity management. [rewrite.cgi?Log=1&javascript=false]