COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) announced Wednesday they are providing certain eligible counties with Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) assistance due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Helene.
DSNAP assistance is provided through electronic debit cards that can be used to purchase food items at authorized SNAP retailers.
The department said DSNAP assistance will be implemented in two phases. During each phase, residents can pre-register and interview for assistance via telephone. The first phase includes the following counties:
- Aiken
- Allendale
- Anderson
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Beaufort
- Cherokee
- Hampton
- Laurens
- McCormick
- Saluda
- Spartanburg
- Union
- York
Households that lived inside of the designated counties during Hurricane Helene and suffered unreimbursed losses due to the storm could be eligible for DSNAP assistance. These losses include:
- Damage or destruction of a home
- Loss or inaccessibility of income due to disaster related problems
- Disaster-related expenses that are not expected to be reimbursed during the disaster benefit period
DSS noted food loss alone is not a qualifying factor for assistance…