NEW ORLEANS — In your Breakdown: almost a half-million people in Louisiana lost power after Hurricane Francine, but the state is still waiting on Disaster SNAP approval to help refill fridges.
DSNAP is not for those who already receive benefits. It helps all low-to-moderate income households who may have lost groceries during a disaster.
Three things have to happen for DSNAP to be approved:
- The president must declare Individual Assistance for the disaster area
- The state must request USDA approval
- And the parishes affected must each receive assistance from FEMA
The first and third items have already happened for Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes. Now, DCFS says it’s working on submitting the application for USDA approval.
DSNAP approval took a little over two weeks following Hurricane Ida, and we’re about one week out from Francine now.
If you are a current snap recipient and lost groceries thanks to a power outage or other damage, you can apply individually for replacement benefits, and DCFS says it will have an announcement about that soon, too.
We’ll be watching to see when and if DSNAP gets approved.
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