AUSTIN -- A computer glitch has delayed the inspection of some Southeast Texas homes that were damaged by Hurricane Rita, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday.

Because of the problem, information from homeowners who filed with FEMA between Sept. 28 and Oct. 2 may not have made its way to field inspectors, agency spokesman Frank Mansell said.

People who filed with FEMA between those dates and have not heard from an inspector should call the agency’s help line at 1-800-621-3362, Mansell said. They do not need to reapply.

FEMA has inspected more than 158,000 homes that were damaged when Rita made landfall Sept. 24 near Sabine Pass. More than 140,000 more inspection requests are pending.

Inspections typically are conducted within three to five days of a request.

But because Hurricanes Rita and Katrina damaged such a huge number of buildings over such a large geographic area, it is taking inspectors an average of 15 to 17 days to respond, said Pam Wade, branch chief for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program.

“We are constantly hiring and training inspectors, and we are working hard to improve the inspection rate,” Wade said.

Earlier this week, Gov. Rick Perry accused FEMA of poor planning, discrimination and inefficiency in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.