Houses all over New Jersey, like this one in Elizabeth, were flooded when the remnants of Hurricane Ida tore through the state last week. (Daniella Heminghaus for New Jersey Monitor)
Some New Jersey residents impacted by Ida now can get disaster food assistance through the end of the month.
The expanded benefits are available to residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties, where federal authorities have made Major Disaster Declarations. SNAP recipients can use their benefits cards to buy hot food at participating SNAP retailers until Sept. 30.
New Jersey added Morris County to this list of eligible counties this week after FEMA made an official disaster declaration there.
SNAP recipients in those counties also can request replacement benefits, for food lost due to the impact of the storm, by contacting their local county social services boards by Sept. 30.
Hot foods normally aren’t covered by SNAP benefits. But because floods ravaged so many homes during Ida, leaving many families without power or safe cooking spaces, New Jersey’s Department of Human Services sought federal approval to waive that rule in affected counties.
Ida-affected residents in the 11 approved counties also can register at www.disasterassistance.gov for direct assistance for Ida-related recovery, including home repairs, temporary housing, low-cost loans, and other aid.
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