WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people in parts of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee recovering from Tropical Storm Helene may be eligible for food assistance through the USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Approximately 982,930 households in Georgia, 152,572 households in North Carolina and 54,692 households in Tennessee are estimated to be eligible for this relief to help with grocery expenses.
Through this program, which USDA makes available through states in the aftermath of disasters, people who may not be eligible for SNAP in normal circumstances can participate if they meet specific criteria, including disaster income limits and qualifying disaster-related expenses.
“USDA is committed to making sure that families, farmers and communities impacted by recent hurricanes get the support they need, including help with grocery expenses as people grapple with significant disruption to their lives,” said Secretary Vilsack. “The Biden-Harris Administration, including USDA, will do everything in our power to help you respond, recover and rebuild – no matter how long it takes.
- Georgia will operate D-SNAP in four phases:
- October 21, 2024 through October 26, 2024 for these counties: Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, and Long.
- October 29, 2024 through November 4, 2024 for these counties: Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Glynn, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Tift, and Ware.
- November 7, 2024 through November 14, 2024 for these counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, and Washington.
- November 18, 2024 through November 23, 2024 for these counties: Appling, Candler, Emanuel, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, and Wheeler Counties.
- North Carolina will operate its D-SNAP application from Oct. 18 – Oct. 24, 2024. Eligible counties include Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
- Tennessee will operate its D-SNAP application from Oct. 21 – Oct. 25, 2024. Eligible counties include Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington.
The D-SNAP announcements are part of a series of USDA actions taken to assist residents in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee cope with Tropical Storm Helene and its aftermath, which include:
- Approving a waiver to allow SNAP participants in both states to buy hot foods and hot food products prepared for immediate consumption with their benefits at authorized SNAP retailers through November 7, 2024 for Georgia; November 3, 2024 for North Carolina; and November 30, 2024 for Tennessee.
- Approving a mass replacements waiver for SNAP participants in affected counties, allowing households to receive replacement benefits lost due to power outages.
- Approving waivers for the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits lost due to power outages in the affected counties.
- Approving waivers that provide statewide administrative and operational flexibilities in multiple nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the Summer Food Service Program.
- Approving statewide waivers to extend certification periods and waive periodic reporting requirements for ongoing SNAP households for up to six months.
How to Apply for D-SNAP
To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must either live or work in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain eligibility criteria. Eligible households will receive one month of benefits – equal to the maximum monthly amount for a SNAP household of their size – that they can use to purchase groceries at SNAP-authorized stores or from select retailers online. For more information about each state's SNAP program, visit Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, North Carolina’s Division of Health and Human Services and Tennessee’s Department of Human Services.
For more information about this and other available aid, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee residents can dial 2-1-1.
The timing of D-SNAP varies with the unique circumstances of each disaster, but always begins after food distribution channels have been restored and families can purchase and prepare food at home. Before operating a D-SNAP, a state must ensure that the proper public information, staffing, and resources are in place. Additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations will be shared locally through the Departments of Health and Human Services in each state.
Current SNAP households are not eligible for D-SNAP. However, USDA has also approved Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and to automatically issue supplemental SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in the affected areas to bring their allotment up to the maximum amount for their household size if they do not already receive that amount. SNAP households in any remaining counties may request supplemental benefits from their state SNAP agency.
Other USDA Resources and Support
Staff across USDA are working with states, local government officials, and partners to provide swift support to communities, farmers, ranchers and small businesses in affected areas. More than 200 first responders and support staff from USDA are on the ground working closely with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help clear debris and to get response and recovery resources where they are needed most. USDA previously announced that the department has already issued flexibilities and waivers across its many farm service, nutrition and community support programs, and is hard at work looking for additional flexibilities to get critical resources and support to communities in need. USDA has also taken steps to expedite assistance to agricultural producers, expediting insurance payments and implementing flexibilities and waivers to speed recovery efforts.
Visit USDA’s Disaster Resource Center for more on how the department is responding to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.
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