Hawaii SNAP Recipients Can Get Benefits Replaced After Hurricane Lala

If Hurricane Lala left you with a refrigerator or pantry full of spoiled food, you may be able to get some of that money back.

The Hawaii Department of Human Services (DHS) is accepting requests for replacement SNAP benefits from households that lost food because of the storm, including losses caused by extended power outages and flooding, according to Island News, which first reported the assistance on Aug. 16.

The program does not provide an extra disaster payment to every SNAP recipient. Instead, it replaces the value of eligible food that was purchased with SNAP benefits and then destroyed because of the storm.

And there’s an important deadline: You generally need to report the loss within 10 days of the incident.

At BenefitKarma, we track benefit changes and emergency assistance programs like this because disaster relief can come with short application windows. If you were affected, it’s worth acting quickly.

How much can you get back?

The amount of replacement SNAP benefits depends on how much food you lost.

For example, if you estimate that $175 worth of groceries purchased with SNAP were destroyed after a lengthy power outage, you could potentially receive up to $175 in replacement benefits if DHS approves the request.

There is a cap, however.

Your replacement cannot exceed the amount of SNAP benefits your household receives for the month.

Hawaii DHS has used the same rule for previous severe-weather replacement programs: benefits are based on the value of food lost, up to the household's monthly SNAP allotment.

So if your normal monthly SNAP benefit is $400, for example, the maximum replacement would generally be $400 — even if the total value of spoiled food was higher.

Who can apply?

The current replacement program is for existing Hawaii SNAP households that experienced food loss connected to Hurricane Lala.

Qualifying circumstances can include storm-related problems such as:

• Extended power outages that caused refrigerated or frozen food to spoil
• Flooding that destroyed food
• Other storm-related household circumstances that made food purchased with SNAP unusable

SNAP is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture but administered in Hawaii by the state Department of Human Services.

This replacement program is different from applying for SNAP itself. You must already be receiving SNAP and be seeking replacement of benefits used to purchase food that was destroyed.

How to request replacement SNAP benefits

According to Island News and previous Hawaii DHS instructions for storm-related replacement benefits, households need to submit a signed written statement describing their loss.

Your statement should include:

1. The name of the SNAP participant
2. Your estimate of the value of the food that was destroyed
3. A description of what happened and when
4. Your contact information

Hawaii DHS has an official replacement-food application available, but households have previously been permitted to submit their own signed statement rather than using the state's form.

Requests can be submitted to a DHS Processing Center. DHS reviews and validates claims before issuing approved replacement benefits.

The state's Public Assistance Information Line is 1-855-643-1643 for households that need help with SNAP replacement benefits or locating a processing center.

Don't miss the 10-day reporting window

This is the part to pay attention to.

Island News reports that SNAP recipients affected by Hurricane Lala must provide written notice of their food loss within 10 days of the incident.

That means the deadline may depend on when the food loss actually occurred rather than being one universal date for every household.

If you're unsure when your deadline falls, contact Hawaii DHS as soon as possible rather than assuming you have more time.

Hawaii has offered similar SNAP replacement benefits following previous storms and flooding. Earlier in 2026, for example, DHS opened replacement programs following severe Kona Low weather and allowed qualifying SNAP households to seek reimbursement for food destroyed by flooding, power outages and other storm-related household misfortunes.

What should you do now?

If you receive SNAP in Hawaii and lost groceries because of Hurricane Lala, start by estimating the value of the food you lost and writing down what happened, including the date of the power outage, flooding or other damage.

Then get your written statement to Hawaii DHS within the required reporting window.

You may not be able to recover the full cost of everything you lost, particularly if it exceeds your normal monthly SNAP allotment. But for households already managing a tight grocery budget, replacing even part of a refrigerator full of spoiled food could make a significant difference.

The bottom line: If Hurricane Lala destroyed food you bought with SNAP, don't assume that money is simply gone. Hawaii is allowing qualifying SNAP households to request replacement benefits — but because the reporting window is short, acting quickly matters.

BenefitKarma will continue tracking disaster-related benefit changes and assistance programs that can help families recover after severe weather.