If you live in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Virginia and have been impacted by Hurricane Florence, you may qualify for emergency food stamps. In this article, we will show you how you can apply for disaster food stamps for Hurricane Florence (D-SNAP) and the step by step process you have to follow in order to get approved.
How Disaster Food Stamps Works
If you have survived a natural disaster and need food assistance, you may be eligible for Disaster Food Stamps or D-SNAP. However, it is important to understand how the program works:
Step 1
The first step is to find out if your state has received a Presidential disaster declaration of individual assistance (IA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This allows for emergency food assistance in disaster areas. If FEMA has announced a Major Disaster Declaration for your state, then your state is eligible to offer the following assistance to individuals and households, including:
- Disaster Food Stamps or D-SNAP
- Individuals and Households Program
- Crisis Counseling Program
- Disaster Case Management
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance
- Disaster Legal Services
To find out if FEMA has a Major Disaster Declaration your area/state, click here.
As of September 18, FEMA has announced Major Disaster Declarations for North Carolina and South Carolina as shown below.
South Carolina Hurricane Florence (DR-4394)
Incident period: September 08, 2018
Major Disaster Declaration declared on September 16, 2018
North Carolina Hurricane Florence (DR-4393)
Incident period: September 07, 2018
Major Disaster Declaration declared on September 14, 2018
This means that residents in the affected areas of North Carolina and South Carolina can apply for disaster food stamps by following the instructions below:
Step 2
Once the states receive approval to operate the D-SNAP program in the affected disaster area, information is then sent out to media outlets, listing program eligibility guidelines and application process, including how to apply online or in person. There is usually a list of physical locations where you can apply for D-SNAP in person or get help applying in person. Check your local newspapers websites, TV Station websites and other local media for a list of sites where you can apply for disaster food stamps.
Step 3
The application process is simplified for D-SNAP and benefits are issued to eligible applicants within 72 hours.
Food Stamps for Hurricane Florence
Apply for Hurricane Florence Food Stamps – North Carolina
If you live in North Carolina, click here to for more information on how to apply for Disaster Food Stamps due to Hurricane Florence.
In addition, for a brief period, you can also use your EBT card to buy hot food during the Hurricane Florence recovery period. Click here for more information on that.
Apply for Hurricane Florence Food Stamps – South Carolina
If you live in South Carolina, click here to apply for Disaster Food Stamps due to Hurricane Florence.
When will FEMA make my area eligible for D-SNAP?
Click here to check the FEMA website to see if a disaster declaration has been made for your area/state. You can also see the disaster declaration map on this website. This will tell you if you are eligible to apply for food stamps for Hurricane Florence. The USDA has a map here where you can see parts of the country where they have provided responses to recent disasters and a full list here.