(Radio Iowa) – State officials are urging northwest Iowans who’ve lost food, appliances or a job due to recent flooding to check to see if they qualify for federal food assistance. Erin Drinnin is community access coordinator for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. “Some folks may be in a position where they haven’t asked for government assistance before,” Drinnin says, “but certainly if you have experienced significant impacts from the storm, I would really encourage you to consider that you may be eligible.”

It’s called Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance or D-SNAP. Drinnin says Iowans who live or work in five northwest Iowa counties can apply for it this week. “You can either come to one of the designated sites that we have. There is a site location in each of the five counties. Those counties are Clay, Emmet, Lyon, Plymouth and Sioux,” Drinnin says, “or you can apply over the phone.” The toll free number is 1-877-828-5648.

“Those who are eligible may either work in or live in one of those five counties and have had some sort of impact from the disaster, so you may have lost income because you haven’t ben able to go to work or because your business was impacted,” Drinnin says. “You may have been affected somehow by expenses related to repairs or expenses related to sheltering if you couldn’t be in your home.”

The U-S-D-A approved D-SNAP benefits for victims of severe weather than hit Iowa in april and May, including devastating tornadoes in Greenfield and Minden, but Drinnin says very few people applied and only 15 households were deemed eligible for the expanded food assistance. “It is somewhat disappointing and is probably indicative of a lot of factors,” Drinnin says, “whether folks didn’t know about it or they didn’t think they were eligible.” Those who qualify for D-SNAP are able to use an electronic benefits card at eligible businesses and may buy prepared, hot food through August 1st, which is not allowed under the traditional SNAP program.

“We do recommend that when you enter the grocery store, if you have the D-SNAP card…that you check in with that retailer and that you’re actually able to use your benefits to purchase prepared food.” Flood victims can apply for D-SNAP benefits this week at the Crosswinds Church in Spencer, the Emmet County Fairgrounds, the Forster Community Center in Rock Rapids, the Le Mars Bible Church and Main Street Plaza in Rock Valley.