Emergency Food Assistance Reaches Hurricane Victims
Kenneth
Hanson
Food Stamp Program participation spiked in
November 2005 at 29.6 million people, up from 25.8
million 3 months earlier. By January 2006, the number
of Americans receiving food stamps had dropped to
26.6 million. The sudden jump in caseloads reflects
USDA’s efforts in getting food stamps to people
in need in the wake of the destruction wrought by
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma last fall. This
additional food stamp spending also represents an
injection of funds into businesses rebuilding after
the storms.
When a disaster strikes, people
may need emergency food assistance. USDA’s
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) delivers this assistance
in two ways. Initially, emergency food is provided
to shelters, other mass feeding sites, and directly
to households. In the weeks following Hurricane
Katrina, 20 million pounds of FNS-funded food was
delivered to Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi.
State food stamp agencies implemented their disaster
plans and distributed their warehoused food supplies.
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Once grocery stores and other retailers
in the affected areas are operating again, FNS issues
emergency food stamps through the Disaster Food
Stamp Program, a program funded by the Federal Government
but administered by the States. Under the program,
the Secretary of Agriculture establishes temporary
eligibility standards for households who are victims
of the disaster. Benefits are provided to households
who suddenly need food assistance because of disaster
damage to their homes, expenses related to protecting
their homes, lost income, or lack of access to bank
accounts or other resources. Eligibility verification
and reporting requirements are temporarily relaxed.
The Secretary can also provide emergency food stamps
to existing food stamp households whose food was
destroyed in a disaster. Flexibility in program
regulations allows States to adjust to the needs
of the circumstance. Between September and December
2005, 1.6 million new households received food stamp
benefits through the Disaster Food Stamp Program.
An additional 676,000 households had benefits replaced
due to destroyed food. Benefits issued amounted
to $900 million.
As recipients use the food stamps
to purchase food from local retailers, the benefits
become revenues for retailers, contributing to the
economic recovery of the community. The food spending
brings people back to work in both the stores and
the local businesses that support the stores, such
as wholesalers and delivery companies. This flow
of resources helps rebuild businesses and communities.
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