A Louisiana Purchase EBT food stamp SNAP card. (Photo by Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)
Louisiana residents who receive federal food assistance will be able to use their benefits to purchase hot meals or prepared foods as the state recovers from Tropical Storm Arthur, state officials announced Monday.
The Louisiana Department of Health has received a temporary waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow expanded use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through Aug. 13. Participants can purchase eligible hot and prepared foods at authorized Louisiana SNAP retailers, though not at restaurants.
The waiver is effective immediately and applies to SNAP recipients statewide. It does not provide any additional funding.
President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration July 2 to make federal assistance available to residents and businesses in certain parishes after Tropical Storm Arthur produced heavy rainfall and spawned tornadoes in Louisiana on June 17.
“After a major weather event like Tropical Storm Arthur, even simple tasks like preparing a meal can become difficult,” Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein said in a news release. “We’re grateful to the USDA for approving this temporary waiver, which gives SNAP recipients greater flexibility to purchase hot, prepared foods as communities recover. We’ll continue working with our federal partners to ensure Louisianans have access to the resources they need throughout the recovery process.”
The SNAP waiver comes as the state braces for a second storm in the Gulf of Mexico.
As of noon Monday, a tropical depression 110 miles south of the Florida Panhandle was moving northwest at 3 mph with sustained winds of 35 mph. The system is forecast to strengthen into Tropical Storm Bertha as soon as Monday evening before turning west.
The National Hurricane Center expects Bertha to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana around 7 p.m. Wednesday.
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Courtesy of Louisiana Illuminator
