FOOD ASSISTANCE IN DISASTERS AND SITUATIONS OF DISTRESS

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FOOD ASSISTANCE IN DISASTERS AND SITUATIONS
OF DISTRESS

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Presentation Will Address

• Regulations/Key Definitions
• State DA Planning
• Responsibilities of
• Disaster Relief Organizations
• State Distributing Agency (SDA)
• Food Nutrition Service (FNS)
• What Commodities to Use
• Commodity Replacements

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Regulations

• 7 CFR Part 250.44
• Requirements for assistance in Situations of
  Distress

• 7 CFR Part 250.43
• Requirements
• for assistance
• during Disasters

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Disaster Means

• a) any natural catastrophe, or regardless of
  cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part
  of the U.S., which the President determines
  causes damage of sufficient severity and
  magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance
  or

• b) any other occasion or instance in which the
  President determines Federal assistance is
  needed.

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Situations of Distress Means

• b) any other situation not declared by the
  President to be a disaster, but which, in the
  judgment of FNS, warrants the use of USDA
  commodities for congregate feeding or household
  distribution.

• a) a natural catastrophe not declared by the
  President to be a disaster, but which, in the
  judgment of the DA, warrants the use of USDA
  commodities for congregate feeding and

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Other Definitions

• Disaster organizations means organizations
  authorized by appropriate Federal or State
  officials to assist disaster victims.
• Disaster victims means
• persons who, because of acts of God or manmade
  disasters, are in need of food assistance,
  whether or not they are victims of a major
  disaster or emergency.

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SDA Planning

• State Emergency Operations Center
• Contact List Names Numbers
• Commodity Inventory Assessment
• Rapid Food Response States
• (CA, CO, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA)

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Types of Food Operations

• Congregate Feeding
• usually takes place in
• Shelter locations, such as schools, churches, and
  community centers
• Mobile kitchens
• Soup kitchens.

• Household Distribution
• is usually allowed when
• Commercial channels of food distribution are
  disrupted thus making it impractical to use food
  stamps and
• Justification can be provided, such as, the need
  for food assistance in remote or isolated
  communities.

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Disaster Food Assistance (Presidential
Declaration)

• Congregate Meal Service Serving meals
• to victims in a mass setting.
• Disaster Relief Organizations must submit an
  application to the SDA
• SDA reviews and approves applications submitted
  by disaster relief organizations and informs
  appropriate Food and Nutrition Service Regional
  Office (FNSRO) within 24 hours

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Disaster Food Assistance (Presidential
Declaration)

• Congregate Meal Service (continued)
• SDA determines duration of food assistance and
  releases inventories as available
• FNSHQ arranges additional
• food as requested.

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Disaster Food Assistance (Presidential
Declaration)

• Household Distribution distribution of
• USDAs donated foods for home preparation
• and consumption.
• Disaster organizations must submit application to
  the SDA
• SDA determines the appropriateness of the request
  to distribute donated foods to households
• SDA submits request for approval for such
  distribution to FNSHQ (via FNSRO)

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Disaster Food Assistance (Presidential
Declaration)

• Household Distribution (continued)
• FNSHQ must approve
• FNSHQ determines duration of donations.

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Situations of Distress (No Presidential
Declaration)

• Congregate Meal Service
• Relief organization must submit an application to
  the SDA.
• In situations of distress, SDA reviews and
  approves applications submitted by relief
  organizations and informs appropriate FNSRO with
  24 hours.

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Situations of Distress (No Presidential
Declaration)

• Congregate Meal Service (continued)
• SDA determines duration of food assistance up to
  30 days with notification to FNSRO.
• FNSHQ approves extension beyond 30 days.
• FNSHQ will replace foods if funding is available
  (replacement not guaranteed).

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Situations of Distress (No Presidential
Declaration)

• Household Distribution
• Organizations must submit applications to the
  SDA.
• SDA determines the appropriateness of the request
  to distribute donated foods to households.
• SDA submits request for approval for such
  distributions to FNSHQ (via FNSRO).

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Situations of Distress (No Presidential
Declaration)

• Household Distribution (continued)
• FNSHQ must approve.
• FNSHQ determines duration of donations.

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Who May Be Served Congregate Meals in a Disaster
or Situation of Distress?

• Disaster Victims.
• Once meal service has been set up to serve
  disaster victims, disaster relief workers (paid
  and volunteer) may receive congregate meals if
  they
• -Have reasonable need to be in area and
• -Commercial food channels disrupted or
• -Unreasonable or inconvenient to
  leave duties to obtain food

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What Commodities Can be Used?

• Following approval, SDA may release
• USDA donated foods to eligible disaster
• Relief agencies from
• State inventories
• Stocks maintained in schools, and
• Other recipient agencies, such as
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

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What Commodities Can Be Used? (continued)

• For congregate feeding, recommend
• using school commodities first, if
• available
• Congregate feeding sites prefer school
• commodities large sizes easier to handle.
• Household commodities are more difficult to
  replace.

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Commodity Replacements

• If SDA wants commodities replaced
• SDA must request replacement in writing to FNSRO
  within 30 days of termination of disaster
• FNSRO will submit request to FNS Headquarters
• Recommend SDA notify FNSRO within 24 hours after
  approval of disaster application if replacements
  will be requested
• FNSRO will then notify FNS Headquarters who will
  set aside funds.

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Single Inventory Issue

• Commodities will be replaced with appropriate
  documentation from SDA.
• Recipient Agencies using single inventory must
  show that the same type(s) of food used for
  disaster feeding were received from USDA within
  past year.

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Operational Costs

• USDA will reimburse state costs to transport
  commodities between states.
• State must absorb costs to transport commodities
  within its borders.
• If further processed items are used, USDA will
  reimburse ONLY the value of the raw commodity in
  the item.

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Summary Report

• SDA must submit a summary report to FNSHQ via
  FNSRO within 45 days following termination of the
  disaster or situation of distress assistance.
• Form SF-292, Report of Coupon Issuance and
  Commodity Distribution for Disaster relief should
  be used.

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Lets Recap

• Disasters Situations of Distress
• Requires a Presidential No Presidential
  Declaration
• Declaration
• Guaranteed commodity Commodities replaced
• Replacement if funds are available
• State DA determines For natural event, State
• duration of food service DA determines
  duration
• of food service up to 30
• days. Over 30 days, or if
• not natural event, FNSHQ
• must approve

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Questions?