Many Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta families lost stored food during ex-typhoon Halong as homes flooded and freezers floated away. Federal officials recently announced that households that lost food purchased with federal food assistance will be able to have some of it replaced.
Households could receive replacement benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP or food stamps. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the temporary extension last week.
It’s part of a special facet of SNAP that helps replace food lost during a disaster.
The USDA has allowed the state of Alaska to approve SNAP benefit replacements automatically, rather than require households to report food losses themselves. The USDA says 75% of what was originally given for the month will be offered as replacement.
Households are eligible if their homes were damaged or if they had prolonged power outages during the storm, and if they’re in one of the regional education attendance areas along the coast and upriver – the Lower Kuskokwim REAA, Lower Yukon REAA, or the Northwest Arctic Borough.
Residents from some of the hardest-hit areas may also be eligible to have part of September benefits replaced.
November SNAP benefits were on hold during the federal government shutdown which began on Oct. 1. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a state disaster declaration to use state funds to fill the gap for those reliant on benefits.
The shutdown ended Nov. 13, and December SNAP benefits and replacement benefits are expected to return as normal, according to the USDA.
