Georgia Disaster Nutrition Assistance

Incident: Hurricane Idalia

When: Aug. 28, 2023

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• On Sept. 29, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) request to issue mass replacements to impacted households. This waiver approval allows households to receive replacement of benefits as stated in the approval due to power outages as a result of Hurricane Idalia that occurred on Aug. 30, 2023. The waiver request applies to the 17 counties of Appling, Atkinson, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Glynn, Irwin, Long, Lowndes, McIntosh, Pierce and Ware.
• On Sept. 12, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia DFCS request to amend the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to Hurricane Idalia that began on Aug. 30, 2023. The initial waiver approved on Sept. 11, 2023, applied to the residents of the following 30 counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Evans, Glynn, Grady, Lanier, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, McIntosh, Pierce, Tattnall, Thomas, Tift, Ware and Wayne. This amended waiver includes Echols County and is in effect through Sept. 19, 2023. 
• On Sept. 11, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia DFCS request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to Hurricane Idalia that began on Aug. 30, 2023. The waiver request applies to residents of Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Evans, Glynn, Grady, Lanier, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, McIntosh, Pierce, Tattnall, Thomas, Tift, Ware and Wayne counties and is in effect through Sept. 19, 2023.

Child Nutrition Programs

• On Aug. 30, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) request for a waiver relating to the child nutrition program during unanticipated school closures throughout school year 2023-24. Under the waiver approval, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) may serve meals in a non-congregate setting, adjust the time of meal service, allow parent and guardian meal pick up, and allow service of meals at school sites due to the unanticipated closures. Also under the waiver approval, the at-risk afterschool component of CACFP may serve meals in a non-congregate setting, adjust the time of meal service, allow parent pick up, and an educational or enrichment activity is not required. FNS expects that flexibilities and exceptions provided will only be implemented by program operators when meal service is limited or negatively impacted due to unanticipated school closures.
• On Aug. 29, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) request for flexibilities relating to child nutrition program operations. Under the waiver approval, program operators of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) may serve meals in a non-congregate setting, allow parent pick-up, adjust the time of meal service and allow service of meals at school sites due to the unanticipated closures. Additionally, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) may serve meals in a non-congregate setting, allow parent pick-up, adjust the time of meal service, and are not required to use offer versus serve. FNS expects that flexibilities and exceptions provided will only be implemented by program operators when meal service is limited or negatively impacted due to the ongoing natural disasters and recovery efforts.

Incident: Severe Storms

When: Jan. 12, 2023

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• On Jan. 27, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) request to extend certification periods and waive periodic reporting requirements for ongoing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households in Butts, Henry, Jasper, Meriwether, Newton, Spalding and Troup counties for up to six (6) months due to the impact of severe storms and tornadoes that began on Jan. 12, 2023.
• On Jan. 24, 2023, FNS approved the Georgia Department of Human Services request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for replacement of food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to severe storms and tornadoes that began on Jan. 12, 2023. The waiver request applies to Butts, Henry, Jasper, Meriwether, Newton, Spalding and Troup counties in the State of Georgia. The wavier is in effect through Feb. 1, 2023.

Past Responses

2020

Incident: Spring Storms

When: April 13, 2020

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• On May 5, 2020, FNS has approved Georgia’s request to waive timely reporting of food loss for replacement of food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of tornados, severe weather and power outages that began on April 13, 2020, through April 23, 2020. The waiver will allow affected households in 38 counties to make a request for replacement of SNAP benefits through May 8, 2020.

2019

Incident: Hurricane Dorian

When: Sept. 3, 2019

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• On Sept. 7, 2019, FNS approved Georgia’s request to waive timely reporting of food loss to households in the counties requested. This waiver approval allows households in the affected counties to request a replacement of SNAP benefits through Oct. 3, 2019, to replace food lost due to power outages and flooding resulting from Hurricane Dorian.

2018

Incident: Hurricane Michael

When: Oct. 10, 2018

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)

• On Nov. 2, FNS approved Georgia’s request to operate a D-SNAP Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Crisp, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Laurens, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Randolph, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth counties starting on November 7. FNS also approved Georgia’s request to allow for the expungement of unused D-SNAP benefits 90 days after the date the benefits become available. The waiver will take effect upon approval and will remain in effect until all benefits issued for the disaster benefit period of Nov. 7, 2018, through Nov. 19, 2018, have been expunged. Look for specific information regarding D-SNAP eligibility and operations on state web pages or call the state’s D-SNAP hotline.
  
  SW Georgia approved for Disaster SNAP
  D-SNAP Hotline: 833-376-2742
  If you need assistance with or a replacement of your EBT card, please call the state’s EBT customer service number at: 888-421-3281.

Child Nutrition Programs

• On Nov. 2, 2018, FNS approved Georgia's request to allow schools in Baker, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Miller, Seminole, Calhoun, Clay, Laurens, Randolph, Sumter, Tift and Turner counties to serve meals that do not meet the school lunch and breakfast program meal pattern requirements, effective Oct. 25 through Nov. 30, 2018.
• On Nov. 2, 2018, FNS approved Georgia's request to allow schools in Baker, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Miller, Seminole, Calhoun, Clay, Laurens, Randolph, Sumter, Tift and Turner counties to use the same location and count and claim school lunch and breakfast meals separately for more than one school, effective Oct. 25, 2018, through Nov. 30, 2018.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• On Oct. 19, 2018, FNS approved Georgia’s request to allow for hot foods to be purchased at SNAP authorized retailers through Nov. 17, 2018. The waiver applies to the following counties:

  Baker Crisp Decatur

  Doughert Early Grady

  Lee Miller Mitchell

  Seminole Terrell

  Thomas Worth

  It also applies to the nearby counties:

  Ben Hill Brooks

  Calhoun Clay

  Cook Randolph

  Sumter Tift

  Turner Webster

  Note: Retailers may need as much as 24-36 hours to make changes that will allow for sale of hot foods.

• On Oct. 17, 2018, FNS approved Georgia’s request to waive timely reporting of food loss to households in 92 impacted counties listed below. This waiver approval will allow households in these affected counties to make a request for replacement of SNAP benefits through Oct. 31, 2018.

  Appling Atkinson Bacon Baker Baldwin Ben Hill Berrien Bibb Bleckley Brantley Brooks Bryan Bulloch Burke Calhoun Camden Candler Charlton Chatham

  Chattahoochee Clay Clinch Coffee Colquitt Cook Crawford Crisp Decatur Dodge Dooly Dougherty Early Echols Effingham Emanuel Evans Glascock Glynn

  Grady Hancock Houston Irwin Jeff Davis Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Long Lowndes Macon Marion McIntosh

  Miller Mitchell Montgomery Muscogee Peach Pierce Pulaski Quitman Randolph Richmond Schley Screven Seminole Stewart Sumter Talbot Tattnall Taylor

  Telfair Terrell Thomas Tift Toombs Treutlen Turner Twiggs Upson Ware Warren Washington Wayne Webster Wheeler Wilcox Wilkinson Worth

• On Oct. 14, 2018, Georgia issued remaining October SNAP benefits.

2017

Incident: Hurricane Irma

When: Sept. 8, 2017

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

• FNS approved the state's request to issue automatic, mass replacements of 45 percent of September 2017 SNAP benefits to SNAP households in the following 71 counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Banks, Berrien, Bibb (approved on 9/24), Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Butts, Camden, Candler, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Dawson, DeKalb (approved on 9/24), Dooly, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Greene, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Irwin, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lanier, Lee, Long, Lowndes, Lumpkin, Macon, Mcintosh, Mitchell, Monroe, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Peach, Pickens, Pierce, Pulaski, Putnam, Rockdale, Screven, Stewart, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Towns, Turner, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, White, Wilcox, Wilkes and Worth. The mass replacement benefits were issued to replace food that was purchased with September 2017 SNAP benefits that was destroyed due to the disaster. Replacement benefits were automatically issued to all regular SNAP households in the affected counties, by means of an automated credit to their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. Households that had already received replacement benefits based on a signed affidavit of loss were excluded from the mass replacement process. Furthermore, if a client submitted an affidavit after receiving a mass replacement and requested an amount greater than the replacement benefit amount received, the household was only entitled to receive the difference between the requested amount and the amount previously replaced. Replacement benefits cannot exceed the maximum monthly allotment for the household.
• FNS approved the state's request to extend the time period households had to report food loss through individual affidavit. Households had until Oct. 2, 2017, to submit such affidavits to their local offices.
• Due to the approach of Hurricane Irma, Georgia issued all remaining September 2017 SNAP benefits, early, on Sept. 10, 2017, to clients statewide.
  
  Georgia Department of Children and Family Services' Food Stamps' Website

Child Nutrition Programs

• On October 20, FNS approved Georgia’s request to extend Hurricane Irma-related waivers in 4 counties that were set to expire on October 20. These waivers applied to schools and residential child care institutions that operated the NSLP and SBP. The 4 counties were: Camden, Chatham, Glynn and Hall counties. These waivers were previously approved by FNS on September 16 and 29. All students in these 4 counties in GA could continue to receive free school meals through the National School Lunch Program through October 31. Schools will be reimbursed at the free rate for all meals served.
• On September 29, FNS approved requests from Georgia to extend previously approved flexibilities of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program to school food authorities (SFAs) in 6 counties (Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Habersham, Hall and White). Specifically:

-- All students in affected disaster areas in Georgia continued to receive free school meals through the National School Lunch Program through October 20. Schools will be reimbursed at the free rate for all meals served.
--Schools were able to serve meals through October 20 that did not meet the menu planning or meal pattern requirements for schools and institutions in the affected areas.

• On September 16, FNS approved requests from the state to provide flexibilities to school food authorities (SFAs) of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program in 35 counties (Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Clinch, Coffee, DeKalb, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Habersham, Hall, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware and Wayne) as well as Gainesville City. Specifically:

-- All students in affected disaster areas in Georgia were able to enjoy free school meals through the National School Lunch Program through Sept. 29, 2017.
-- Schools were able to serve meals through Sept. 29, 2017, that did not meet the menu planning or meal pattern requirements for schools and institutions in the affected areas.
-- Schools had the option to operate the NSLP's Seamless Summer Option during the school year when schools had unanticipated closures.
-- Schools not directly impacted by the hurricane may have used their commodity foods to provide plated meals to shelters or other school food service operations.
-- Other flexibilities included: allowing two schools to utilize the same location and claim meals separately through NSLP and SBP; and several waivers and extensions of timelines related to administrative and operational activities.

 

Incident: Tornadoes and Severe Weather

When: Jan. 21, 2017

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• FNS approved the state’s request for timely reporting of SNAP food losses and requests for replacement benefits in the following counties: Berrien, Cook, Crisp, Doughertry, Turner and Wilcox. Affected households in the above counties had until Feb. 11, 2017, to report SNAP food loss and request replacement benefits due to the tornadoes and severe weather that impacted the area from January 21 though January 22. Replacements were authorized for the amount of the loss, not to exceed the monthly allotment for the household.

Georgia Department of Children and Family Services' Food Stamps' Website
If you think you may be eligible for disaster food assistance in your state, please contact your local state office.