Nebraska Disaster Nutrition Assistance

Incident: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding

When: Began March 9, 2019, and continuing

Food Distribution Programs

• USDA Foods were utilized for congregate disaster feeding on the Santee Sioux Tribal Reservation. In addition, USDA Foods were utilized from March 13-15, 2019, in North Bend.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP)

• On March 28, 2019, FNS approved Nebraska's request to operate a Disaster DNAP (D-SNAP) in 9 counties: Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas (restricted to specific zip codes), Nemaha, Sarpy, Saunders, and Washington. The state agency began D-SNAP operations on Friday, March 29, 2019, and operations will run through Wednesday, April 4, 2019. On April 4, 2019, FNS approved Nebraska’s request to expand D-SNAP operations to the following 6 counties: Boone, Buffalo, Custer, Knox, Richardson, and Thurston, and the Santee Sioux Nation reservation. D-SNAP operations will run for 7 non-consecutive days, beginning April 5 through April 15, 2019. D-SNAP sites will not operate on weekends during the application period. The state agency will issue supplemental benefits automatically to ongoing SNAP households in Nance County and to targeted zip codes in 4 of the 12 counties. Ongoing households in areas not approved for automatic disaster supplements can request supplemental benefits via affidavit attesting to their disaster expenses.
• On April 12, 2019, FNS approved Nebraska’s request to expand D-SNAP operations to the following additional 12 counties: Antelope, Boyd, Burt, Cuming, Hall, Howard, Madison, Nance, Pierce, Platte, Saline, and Stanton. D-SNAP operations will run for 7 non-consecutive days, beginning on Wednesday, April 17 through Thursday, April 25. The state agency will operate D-SNAP with the same conditions of eligibility and alternative procedures FNS approved for the initial set of 9 counties on March 28. The state agency will issue supplemental benefits automatically to ongoing SNAP households in Nance County and to targeted zip codes in 4 of the 12 counties. Ongoing households in areas not approved for automatic disaster supplements can request supplemental benefits via affidavit attesting to their disaster expenses.
• On April 12, 2019 FNS approved Nebraska’s request to extend the waiver of 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 April 25, 2019, to replace food lost due to power outages and flooding resulting from Winter Storm Ulmer that began on March 9, 2019.
• On April 16, 2019, FNS approved Nebraska’s request to amend its automatic mass replacement of SNAP benefits waiver approval to add Nance County, and certain impacted zip codes in Cuming, Howard, Madison and Pierce counties. This waiver approval will allow households in these affected counties to receive replacement of 75% of the March SNAP benefit. These replacement SNAP benefits will allow households to replace food lost due to power outages and flooding that began on March 12, 2019.
• FNS approved the state agency's request to issue supplemental benefits automatically to ongoing households in Boone County and to targeted zip codes in all other areas. Ongoing households in areas not approved for automatic disaster supplements can request supplemental benefits at their local office via affidavit attesting to their disaster expenses. In addition, FNS approved Nebraska's request to issue automatic supplements to ongoing SNAP households according to the following list:
  • Butler – countywide
  • Cass – countywide
  • Colfax – countywide
  • Dodge – countywide
  • Douglas – zip codes 68007, 68022, 68064, 68069, 68112, 68122, 68142, and 68152 only
  • Nemaha – zip codes 68305, 68321, 68414, and 68421 only
  • Sarpy – countywide
  • Saunders – zip codes 68003, 68015, 68033, 68035, 68041, 68073, and 68648 only
  • Washington - countywide
• On March 28, 2019, FNS approved Nebraska’s request to issue mass replacements in the counties of Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Sarpy, and Washington, and the following impacted zip codes in Nemaha County: 68421, 68321, 68414, and 68305; Saunders County: 68648, 68015, 68035, 68073, 68003, 68041, and 68033; and Douglas County: 68022, 68064, 68069, 68152, 68122, 68142, 68007 and 68112. Impacted SNAP households in these affected counties will receive replacement of 75% of March SNAP benefits. These replacement SNAP benefits will allow households to replace food lost due to power outages and flooding. On April 4, FNS approved Nebraska’s request to amend its March 28, 2019, automatic mass replacement of SNAP benefits waiver approval to add Boone County, and certain impacted zip codes in Buffalo, Custer, Knox, Richardson, and Thurston Counties.
• On March 25, 2019, FNS approved Nebraska’s request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for replacement of food purchased with SNAP benefits that was destroyed due to power outages and flooding resulting from Winter Storm Ulmer that began on March 9, 2019. Impacted SNAP households in the below impacted counties will have until April 15, 2019, to report their loss of food to their local SNAP office and request replacement benefits. Replacements will be authorized for the amount of the loss, not to exceed the monthly allotment for the household.

  Adams Antelope Blain Boone Box Butte Boyd Brown Buffalo Burt Butler Cass Cedar Cherry

  Colfax Cuming Custer Dakota Dixon Dodge Douglas Fillmore Frontier Furnas Gage Garfield Gosper

  Greely Hall Harlan Holt Howard Jefferson Johnson Keya Paha Knox Lancaster Lincoln Logan Loup

  Madison Merrick Morrill Nance Nemaha Nuckolls Otoe Pawnee Pierce Platte Richardson Rock Saline

  Sarpy Saunders Scotts Bluff Seward Sherman Stanton Thayer Thurston Valley Washington Wayne Wheeler York

Child Nutrition Programs

• On March 26, 2019, FNS provided flexibility for schools in Nebraska impacted by recent flooding under existing regulatory exceptions for meal service during natural disasters or other catastrophes. Affected schools may serve and claim for reimbursement school lunch and breakfast meals that do not meet the meal pattern requirements through April 26, 2019.

State agencies are responsible for requesting and operating the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). For more information, visit the state’s website or call the state’s SNAP hotline at 1-800-383-4278. For questions related to your Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, call 1-877-247-6328.

If you think you may be eligible for disaster food assistance in your state, please contact your local state office.