WASHINGTON – A former FEMA director, Michael Brown, was warned weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit that his agency’s backlogged computer systems could delay supplies and put personnel at risk during an emergency, according to an audit released yesterday.

An internal review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s information-sharing system shows it was overwhelmed during the 2004 hurricane season. The audit was released a day after Mr. Brown vehemently defended FEMA for the government’s dismal response to Katrina, instead blaming state and local officials for poor planning and chaos during the August 29 storm and subsequent flooding.

The review by Homeland Security Department acting Inspector General Richard Skinner examined FEMA’s response to four major hurricanes and a tropical storm that hit Florida and the Gulf Coast in August and September 2004. It noted FEMA’s mission during disasters as rapid response and coordinating efforts among federal, state and local authorities.

“However, FEMA’s systems do not support effective or efficient coordination of deployment operations because there is no sharing of information,” the audit found. “Consequently, this created operational inefficiencies and hindered the delivery of essential disaster response and recovery services,” it said.

A Homeland Security spokesman, Russ Knocke, had no immediate response yesterday.