People who lived or worked in Lewis County when severe storms and flooding struck July 21 may qualify for disaster food assistance. Applications are being taken through Friday, Sept. 25, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, according to a Department of Human Services announcement shared by the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce.
The Lewis County application site is the West Virginia Division of Highways location at 131 Highland Drive in Weston. The announcement also lists sites at 34 Auction Lane in Buckhannon for Upshur County, 220 West Main Street for Ritchie County, and 1655 South Pleasants Highway in St. Marys for Pleasants County. The same application dates and hours apply to all four counties.
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits provide one month of food assistance to eligible households with disaster-related losses. People who already receive SNAP may qualify for supplemental benefits. To qualify, a household must have lived or worked in one of the four counties at the time of the storm, have disaster-related expenses or lost income, and meet the program’s disaster-specific income and resource limits. Examples of losses include spoiled food, property damage, evacuation costs and inability to access funds.
Applicants are encouraged to bring photo identification; proof that they lived or worked in an eligible county during the storm; proof of income received during the 30 days before applying; checking or savings account statements or other proof of assets; and documentation of disaster-related expenses. Eligible households may receive benefits within one day of applying. Benefits can be used for eligible food, but not alcohol, tobacco or non-food items. For more information, contact a local DoHS county office or call the Office of Constituent Services’ Customer Service Hotline at 1-877-716-1212.