WASHINGTON, November 4, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people recovering from Hurricane Helene may be eligible for food assistance through the USDA's Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). It is estimated that approximately 357,291 households in 28 counties and one tribe in South Carolina are eligible for this relief to cover food expenses.

This program, which the USDA makes available through states after disasters, is open to individuals who may not be eligible for SNAP under normal circumstances if they meet certain criteria, including disaster income limits and qualified disaster-related expenses.

The USDA recently announced that residents in parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee may be eligible for D-SNAP. Today, the USDA also announced that four additional Florida counties – Desoto, Flagler, Lake and Polk – are now eligible, bringing the total area where D-SNAP is offered to 144 eligible counties and two tribes in the hurricane-hit areas Helene affected states increased and Milton. The USDA continues to work with states to offer D-SNAP to their residents.

“USDA is committed to ensuring families, farmers and communities affected by recent hurricanes receive the support they need, including assistance with food expenses, as people face significant disruptions 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.”

South Carolina will conduct its virtual and in-person D-SNAP application periods from November 12 to November 21, 2024 and December 2 to December 13, 2024, respectively. Eligible areas include Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg counties , Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York as well as the Catawba Indian Reservation. South Carolina will release additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media.

How to Apply for D-SNAP

To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live in an identified disaster area, be affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria. Eligible households will receive one month of benefits – equal to the maximum monthly benefit for a SNAP household of their size – to purchase groceries from SNAP-authorized stores or select retailers online to meet their temporary grocery needs when they return settling in at home after the disaster. For more information about South Carolina SNAP, visit the South Carolina Department of Social Services. For more information about this and other available help, South Carolina callers can dial 2-1-1.

Today's D-SNAP announcement is the latest in a series of USDA actions taken to help South Carolinians cope with Hurricane Helene and its aftermath. This also includes:

• Approved waivers from the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased while SNAP benefits were lost due to power outages in affected counties.
• Approved a mass replacement waiver for SNAP participants in affected counties, allowing households to receive replacement benefits lost due to power outages.
• Approved statewide waivers providing administrative and operational flexibility in several nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the Summer Food Service Program.
• Approval of statewide exemptions from the maximum monthly allowance for WIC Food Packages I, II, and III and the medical documentation requirement for WIC Food Packages I and II.

The timing of D-SNAP varies depending on the specific circumstances of each disaster, but always begins after commercial food distribution channels 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 correct public information, personnel, and resources are in place.

Although current SNAP households are not eligible for D-SNAP, the USDA has also approved South Carolina to automatically provide additional SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in 27 counties (Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee , Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York) to increase their allotment to the maximum amount for their household size if they are not already receiving that amount. SNAP households in Kershaw County may apply for additional benefits through their state SNAP agency.

Additional USDA resources and support

USDA staff are working with states, local government officials and partners to provide rapid assistance to communities, farmers, ranchers and small businesses in affected areas. To date, USDA, working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has deployed hundreds of responders and support personnel to the scene to help clear debris and move response and recovery resources to where they are needed most. The USDA previously announced that the Department has already issued flexibilities and waivers for its numerous agricultural service, nutrition and community support programs and is working diligently to seek additional flexibilities to provide critical resources and support to communities in need. USDA has also taken steps to expedite assistance to agricultural producers, expedite insurance payments, and implement flexibilities and waivers to accelerate recovery efforts.

Visit USDA's Disaster Resource Center to learn more about how the department is responding to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service is committed to fighting hunger and improving food and nutrition security through a range of 16 nutrition assistance programs, including the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve one in four Americans over the course of a year and promote consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable foods essential for optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutritional recommendations through co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The FNS report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights how the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration's national strategy related to 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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