Florida residents affected by Hurricane Helene or Milton, including those whose refrigerated food spoiled during power outages, may be eligible for food assistance.
Although the assistance is called the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as disaster food stamps, you do not have to regularly qualify for food stamps to receive them.
In fact, you may not receive regular food assistance but must meet other financial requirements, although the Florida Department of Children and Families did not provide details on upcoming disbursements in a news release. You must also have suffered a “disaster-related loss,” such as damage to your home, loss of food, reduction or loss of income, or other “disaster-related expenses,” the department said.
Those approved to receive assistance will receive a card in the mail that can be used to purchase food from approved retailers.
Floridians can pre-register online for the program that begins Sunday, although specific days are set aside for residents of different counties. After the online pre-registration, applicants must complete a telephone interview with the department, which is also limited to certain dates based on the first letter of your last name. For those who cannot register virtually, the department will announce in-person events soon, the news release said.
Planning information by province and surname can be found here.
For example, people living in Pinellas and Pasco counties can pre-register online from November 3-8, with telephone interview dates on November 4 and November 6-8. wait until the following week to apply.
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Tampa Bay Times 2024 Hurricane Coverage
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