COLUMBIA, S.C. — SNAP recipients in the 28 counties hardest hit by power outages during Hurricane Helene will receive 55% of their September benefits by Oct. 15, after the Department of Social Services applied for a "mass replacement" waiver.
Over a million people lost power during Helene, according to PowerOutage.US. Many were forced to throw away food they lost after being left for hours or days without a way to power their air conditioning or refrigerators.
Normally, SNAP recipients can apply for individual SNAP replacement if circumstances cause them to lose food. They must use an online form called an 'Affidavit of loss due to a household misfortune' and provide documentation, such as a letter from a utility provider.
"A SNAP household would have to complete an affidavit of loss, saying that they lost their food or their items in their home, and that they would also have to obtain an individual letter from their utility provider," said Connelly-Anne Ragley, the Chief External Affairs Officer for SCDSS. "If we have 277,000 households in South Carolina that receive snap during the month of September, that's a potential of 277,000 individual letters that would have to be generated by local utility providers."
She said the department had to supply documentation that power outages impacted the eligible counties. For a county to be eligible, at least 50% of its population had to have experienced a power outage lasting 4 hours or more.
Recipients who don't live in an eligible county can still apply for the individual SNAP replacement by submitting the form and providing documentation from their utility provider. As part of the waiver, the deadline for September benefits has been extended to Oct. 26. Ragley also emphasized that the benefits were only for those who received SNAP benefits in September. Those not SNAP eligible or just now applying will not get replacement benefits from Helene.
"If you were to apply for SNAP benefits today, you were not eligible to go back and receive additional benefits that you that would have been received in September. So that is a misconception that's out there. If you apply for benefits in October, if it's approved and you meet the federal requirements and guidelines, then it would be from October going forward," said Ragley.
She says those not SNAP eligible should check with their county's EMS or FEMA for assistance with Helene's impacts.
FEMA does offer assistance for vital, immediate needs after a hurricane, said FEMA Spokesperson Tiana Suber. Residents can apply for Immediate Needs Assistance through their hotline, 800-621-3362, or at DisasterAssistance.gov.
For those receiving mass SNAP renewal, Ragley said calling or visiting the local DSS county office will not speed up the process of adding replacement benefits to an EBT card. For eligible counties, benefits will be replaced and back on your EBT card by Tuesday.
Eligible counties for mass SNAP replacement include:
- Abbeville
- Aiken
- Allendale
- Anderson
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Calhoun
- Cherokee
- Chester
- Colleton
- Edgefield
- Fairfield
- Greenville
- Greenwood
- Hampton
- Jasper
- Laurens
- Lexington
- McCormick
- Newberry
- Oconee
- Orangeburg
- Pickens
- Richland
- Saluda
- Spartanburg
- Union
- York