The state of Illinois and the Federal Government offer many services to help people who have been impacted by a natural disaster.

a) Disaster Food Stamps/SNAP: The federal Food and Nutrition Services may approve Disaster Food Stamps/SNAP for a federally declared disaster area. The Disaster SNAP program has special application, timeframe, eligibility and verification requirements. The time frame may be as short as 10 days from the date of the disaster declaration. Application for Disaster Food Stamps/SNAP is made through the Illinois Department of Human Services. Disaster Food Stamps/SNAP may be available for victims of disasters who may not otherwise be eligible for Food Stamps/SNAP.

b) Food bought with Food Stamps/SNAP benefits may be replaced if destroyed in a disaster that was beyond the household’s control (i.e., fire, flood, tornado). A written request for replacement must be made within ten (10) calendar days of the disaster and the disaster must be proven. Food may also be replaced if lost due to a power outage of at least 4 hours, if the outage was not due to nonpayment of utility service or mechanical problems (i.e., refrigerator broke down).

c) The unreimbursed costs of repairing a damaged or destroyed home due to natural disaster can be factored into the calculation of the amount of Food Stamp/SNAP benefits available to a household.

d) Crisis Assistance may be available for families that are current recipients or eligible applicants of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) through the Illinois Department of Human Services. Crisis Assistance payments may be provided when: i) a family is homeless due to fire, flood or a natural disaster; or ii) a family lacks food, necessary furniture, clothing and/or household supplies due to fire, flood or a natural disaster.

Federal Relief

The National Disaster Relief Act provides a broad package of tax benefits that may be used by anyone who is affected by a federally-declared disaster. More information is available at: http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=203056,00.html

To download the full Disaster Legal Services Manual, please click here.