Audit: homeland security unprepared.

An internal audit released in June revealed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)--the office in charge of preparing the nation for disaster--is not ready for one itself.

The audit found that IT operations within the DHS are generally unprepared to recover from a major disaster. The report, published by the DHS Office of Inspector General, found that nearly 80 percent of the department's IT facilities lack fully operational data recovery sites.

"The inability to restore DHS' critical IT systems following a disaster could have negative effects on the performance of mission essential functions," the audit states.

Of the 19 sites examined, 15 were unable to perform complete backups of their data to a second recovery site. In the remaining four sites, the audit found problems that could "adversely impact recovery of critical IT systems."

This means that in the event of a disaster, the United States could face a disruption in airport screening or delays in processing government disaster assistance grants, the audit warned. It also stated that the IT problems could potentially slow or halt the flow of goods in and out of the county.

The report calls for more funding for disaster recovery within the DHS and recommends that the department focus more on disaster recovery planning. The audit found "deficiencies" in 25 of the 31 disaster recovery planning documents examined.

The department's 22 agencies are working to improve disaster preparedness, DHS spokesman Larry Orluskie told the media. But with the many information systems now linked under the DHS umbrella, this will take some time, he said. Orluskie could not say when the DHS expected to meet the audit's recommendations, but he said that a new consolidated DHS data center at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, expected to go online by the end of September, would alleviate the situation.