WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people in Florida recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton may be eligible for food assistance through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Approximately 407,733 households in 24 Florida counties 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.
Earlier this week, USDA announced that residents in parts of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee may be eligible for D-SNAP. Today, USDA is also announcing that five more counties in Georgia —Dodge, McIntosh, Taliaferro, Thomas, and Warren—are now eligible, bringing the total area where D-SNAP is offered to 112 eligible counties and one Tribe across the states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. USDA continues to work with states to offer D-SNAP to their residents.
“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 Agriculture Secretary Tom 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.”
Florida will operate its D-SNAP application in three phases:
- For Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties, applications will be accepted by phone Oct. 28 through Oct 31, and onsite applications will be taken for a three-day period in each county starting Nov. 1 through Dec. 9.
- For Charlotte, Hernando, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties, applications will be accepted by phone Nov. 4 and Nov. 6 through Nov. 8, and onsite applications will be taken for a three-day period in each county starting Nov. 9 through Dec. 3.
- For Citrus, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, and Volusia counties, applications will be accepted by phone Nov. 12 through Nov. 15, and onsite applications will be taken for a three-day period in each county starting Nov. 16 through Dec. 15.
For more information about this and other available aid, callers from Florida can dial 2-1-1 or visit Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. For more information about Florida SNAP, visit the Florida Department of Children and Families. For more information about Georgia’s SNAP program, visit Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services.
The D-SNAP announcement today is the latest in a series of USDA actions taken to help Florida residents cope with Hurricanes Helene and Milton and their aftermath, which also include:
- Approving a waiver to allow SNAP participants in affected counties to buy hot foods and hot food products prepared for immediate consumption with their benefits at authorized SNAP retailers.
- 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.
How to Apply for D-SNAP
To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP 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 to meet their temporary food needs as they settle back home following the disaster. Florida will share additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media.
The timing of D-SNAP varies with the unique circumstances of each disaster, but always begins after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to 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.
Although current SNAP households are not eligible for D-SNAP, USDA has also approved Florida to automatically issue supplemental SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in the identified counties to bring their allotment up to the maximum amount for their household size if they don’t already receive that amount.
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. USDA currently has 165 first responders and support staff 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 crop insurance payments and implementing flexibilities and waivers to speed recovery efforts. For example, This week, USDA announced initial indemnity payments to producers under hurricane and tropical storm crop insurance policies, including those in Florida, to help their operations and communities recover. USDA also announced its intent to purchase up to $25 million in fresh citrus from domestic producers to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country.
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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