Three states have made SNAP benefits last longer because of Hurricane Helene. There is a new program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture called D-SNAP that helps people who lost their food because of Hurricane Helene in late September.
The hurricane destroyed many states and killed more than 200 people. People and families with low incomes are usually given SNAP benefits, which are also known as food stamps, to help pay for groceries.
D-SNAP helps people who might not normally be eligible for food stamps but have been affected by disasters.
About 982,930 houses in Georgia, 152,572 households in North Carolina, and 54,692 households in Tennessee should be able to get help, according to the U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In a release on October 15, Secretary Tom Vilsack said that the USDA is committed to making sure that families, farms, and towns affected by recent hurricanes get the help they need, including help with their grocery bills.
This is because people are dealing with a big change in their lives. The Biden-Harris Administration, which includes the USDA, will do everything they can to help you react, recover, and rebuild, no matter how long it takes.
Which states qualify for the D-SNAP?
The US Department of Agriculture just said that some states will be able to get the D-SNAP benefit and others won’t. These are the states that will be able to get this benefit:
Georgia’s D-SNAP will be run in several stages:
- Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Libert, and Long counties will be covered from October 21, 2024, to October 26, 2024.
- October 29, 2024, to November 4, 2024, for the following counties: Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Camden, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Glynn, Irwin, Lowndes, Lanier, Pierce, Tift, and Ware.
- Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, and Washington counties will hold elections from November 7, 2024, to November 14, 2024.
- November 18, 2024, to November 23, 2024, for the following counties: Appling, Candler, Emanuel, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, and Wheeler.
In North Carolina, on the other hand, the D-SNAP scheme will run from October 18, 2024, to October 24, 2024.
County names that fit the bill are Alleghany, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
In the end, Tennessee’s D-SNAP application will be open from October 21, 2024, to October 25, 2024. County names like Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington are part of this group.
People who live in these areas and are currently on SNAP are not qualified.
But the USDA has given states permission to give extra benefits to current SNAP households in affected counties so that their monthly benefit is raised to the maximum amount for their household size if it is smaller.
How much money could households earn with the D-SNAP?
Homes that qualify will get one month of benefits equal to the maximum monthly amount for a normal SNAP family of their size. These benefits can be used to buy groceries at partner stores or online.
| Maximum Monthly Entitlements | |
| People in Household | Maximum Monthly Allotment |
| 5 | $1,158 |
| 6 | $1,390 |
| 7 | $1,536 |
| 8 | $1,756 |
| 1 | $292 |
| 2 | $536 |
| 3 | $768 |
| 4 | $975 |
| Each additional person | $200 |
How can interested families apply for the D-SNAP benefit?
Anyone who is qualified must apply directly to the state agency that handles SNAP benefits. The federal government pays for the states to run SNAP programs and the states pay for the programs themselves.
This is the Division of Family and Children Services in Georgia, the Division of Health and Human Services in North Carolina, and the Department of Human Services in Tennessee.
