BATON ROUGE (AP) — Two top leaders at the state Department of Social Services were forced out Tuesday amid complaints about the agency’s handling of disaster food stamp aid and evacuee shelters for Hurricane Gustav.

A day after Secretary Ann Williamson resigned, the agency’s deputy secretary and undersecretary were ousted.

Terri Porche Ricks, the deputy secretary, turned in her resignation after she was advised “that we were asking her to leave,” said interim agency chief Kristy Nichols. Undersecretary Edward Ashworth was fired, according to Nichols, who was appointed by Gov. Bobby Jindal after Williamson resigned.

“The governor has asked for some major leadership changes at DSS in response to the inadequate response to Hurricane Gustav,” Nichols said. “We believe there were widespread problems in the response to the hurricane, which we believe are indicative of some major leadership problems at the agency.”

Messages seeking comment were left with Ashworth. A phone number listed for Ricks was not in service.

DSS has received a barrage of criticism, including from Jindal, about its performance after Gustav struck on Labor Day.

Questioned Monday, Jindal wouldn’t say if he asked Williamson to leave but said he and Williamson agreed it was time to “make a change” at the department. His comments led to speculation that more DSS leaders might be leaving the agency.

“This is the first change, but there will be additional changes coming as well,” the governor said after Williamson’s resignation. “You’re not going to have to wait long.”

Nichols, the governor’s health and social services policy adviser, was appointed as interim DSS secretary until a permanent successor is chosen. Jindal said Nichols was doing a comprehensive assessment of the department and would recommend changes.

Ricks’ job was given to Susan Sonnier, who worked as policy director at the state Department of Health and Hospitals.

DSS came under fire when Gustav evacuees who arrived at four north Louisiana shelters run by the state found no showers. Portable showers arrived three days after shelters opened, and there weren’t enough bathrooms. The contractor who provided the showers said the company received a request from DSS the day Gustav hit, Sept. 1.

Then, days after the storm ravaged a wide swath of Louisiana, thousands of people who sought disaster food stamp aid waited in hours-long lines. Some were turned away empty-handed. Incorrect locations also were provided for application sites.

After the problems were largely resolved, new complaints emerged that some applicants had received too much money on their food stamp cards.

The department said Tuesday that a computer program error caused an estimated 22,000 applicants to receive duplicate benefits to which they weren’t entitled. Department officials said the problem was corrected, and the computer system was revised to prevent similar mistakes.

“I have ordered a full internal audit of our computer system to ensure this kind of error does not happen again,” Nichols said.

Nichols also said she’s bringing in additional staff to help speed up benefits. She said a review of all 44 food stamp distribution sites showed three had waits longer than an hour and a half Tuesday.

Williamson took the blame for problems in both the food stamp and shelter programs, but she said the criticism wrongly overshadowed the good work done by the department staff in the weeks since Gustav struck and in the response to the follow-up blow of Hurricane Ike.

Nichols said she was worried that the leadership shake-up and criticism could harm morale at the agency and she planned a staff meeting Thursday to thank employees for their service and tell them they will be judged on their own performances.

“We believe the response to Gustav was a reflection of leadership, not a reflection on the staff on the ground, in the field,” she said.