During the week of October 7th, 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall. The hurricane swept through the Florida Panhandle, Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. The brunt of the storm hit the Florida Panhandle, devastating communities like Mexico Beach, Panama City, Blountstown and Bristol. FEMA made a major disaster declaration on October 7th, which means affected communities can get federal aid, including Hurricane Michael Disaster food stamps.
If you have been impacted by the storm in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia and need food assistance, we will walk you through how to apply for disaster food stamps and get help quickly.
If you are already on food stamps and have lost food you purchased with your EBT card due to the storm, you can get replacement food stamps. We will show you how.
Storm Impact
With 18 people killed and as many as 46 people still missing as of October 14th, the death toll is expected to climb.
In addition to the thousands of homes that have been destroyed across the southeast, more than 250,000 are still without power as of October 15. There are also reports of drivers lining up for hours to get fuel.
In Georgia, farm-related damage from the storm is $1.2 billion, with an estimated loss of $300 million on the Georgia cotton crop as well as more than $600 million in losses to pecans.
In addition, at least 84 chicken houses holding a total of 2 million chickens were destroyed in the storm.
Hurricane Michael Disaster Food Stamps
If you have been impacted by Hurricane Michael and need food assistance, you can apply for Disaster Food Stamps (D-SNAP).
We will walk you through the process of applying for disaster food stamps if you are not currently on food stamps. If you are already on food stamps, see below for how to get the food you’ve lost replaced.
How D-SNAP Works
Step 1
For the states of Florida, Georgia, and Virginia to offer disaster food stamps, FEMA has to first declare the impacted area as a major disaster area. This happens after a Presidential disaster declaration of individual assistance (IA). Here is the FEMA declaration for Florida and Georgia:
Florida Hurricane Michael (DR-4399)
Incident period: October 07, 2018
Major Disaster Declaration declared on October 11, 2018
Georgia Hurricane Michael (DR-4400)
Incident period: October 09, 2018
Major Disaster Declaration declared on October 14, 2018
Step 2
Now that both states have received FEMA major disaster declaration, they can now offer the D-SNAP program in the affected disaster areas.
Do I Qualify for D-SNAP?
If you would not normally qualify for food stamps (SNAP), you may qualify for D-SNAP if you had one of the disaster-related expenses below:
- Home or business repairs
- Temporary shelter expenses
- Evacuation or relocation expenses
- Home or business protection
- Disaster-related personal injury, including funeral expenses
- Lost or no access to income due to the disaster, including reduced, terminated, or delayed receipt of income, for a large part of the benefit period
- In some cases, food loss after a disaster like flooding or power outages
For a detailed list of eligibility guidelines for Disaster Food Stamps, including income limit, see our D-SNAP post here.
If you are currently on food stamps (SNAP), you may qualify for D-SNAP if you meet the conditions below:
Step 3
Your state will announce locations where you can apply for D-SNAP in person. This information is usually provided to media outlets, listing program eligibility guidelines and application process, including where to apply in person.
What You Need to Apply
The application process for Disaster Food Stamps is very simplified and approval is quicker, usually within 72 hours. When you apply for Disaster Food Stamps, you will need the following:
- Names, Social Security Numbers, and Dates of Birth for each household member
- Address and County where you currently live
- Monthly income for each household member
- All liquid resources for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings)
To apply, click below to be taken to your state specific site for more information:
Replacement Food Stamps & Hot Food
If you already have food stamps, you cannot apply for D-SNAP but you can get replacement food stamps if you lost food that was purchased with food stamps as a result of Hurricane Michael.
The USDA has also approved certain communities to be able to use their EBT Cards to purchase hot food.
Here is what you need to know:
Florida Residents:
On Oct. 9, 2018, Florida lifted its staggered issuance schedule and issued October benefits early for the following coastal counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, and Dixie.
On Oct. 10, 2018, Florida lifted its staggered issuance schedule and issued October benefits early for 24 additional counties: Calhoun, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jackson, Liberty, Leon, Madison, Suwannee, Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Lafayette, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Union, Washington
Georgia Residents
On Oct. 14, 2018, USDA approved a mass replacement waiver so that affected SNAP households in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Wakulla, and Washington counties in the State of Florida are able to replace food lost as a result of the hurricane. Florida intends to issue replacement benefits as early as October 15, 2018.
On Oct. 13, 2018, USDA approved a waiver so that affected SNAP households in the State of Florida are able to buy hot foods and hot food products with their SNAP benefits through Oct. 31, 2018.
Do you have any questions about this article or hurricane Michael disaster food stamps in general? Please let us know in the comments section below.
Letora Hicks
Tuesday 23rd of October 2018
I received stamps on October 4th and lost my groceries from Hurricane Michael. .How do I apply for disaster stamps.