SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Many people are still dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene and in need of a little extra help, but an online rumor that spread rapidly today has made things even worse for them.
People gathered in front of the Savannah Civic Center and outside Savannah Tech at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, in line for an alleged EBT, or electronic benefits card, that can be used to purchase food.
At least, that's what they thought, according to social media.
"One of my aunts was standing out there this morning for the benefits," Kim Teasley, whose aunt was affected by the rumor, said, "and she stated there was a lot of elderly people standing out there this morning as well. It was cold this morning, and a security guard at Savannah Tech pulled up, and they asked him what was going on, were they going to be giving out food and were they standing in the right place, and he told them they weren't issuing out any type of assistance."
Several posts and shares Monday night into Tuesday morning all contained the same wrong information.
Facebook users claimed that those who had lost food during the power outages from Helene would receive snap benefit cards to replace their items without proof of income.
None of it was true, though.
The City of Savannah and Savannah Tech both confirmed these events were not scheduled to happen, and they said that they don't know where the rumors were coming from.
"I don't know the origin of the Facebook post, but it was cruel," Teasley said. "It's very cruel, and, you know, in Savannah we don't do that. Everybody's trying to help out one another. We're trying to recover from these hurricanes, and people lost a lot of food out here."
However, the government does often issue benefits through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (D-SNAP) program after a natural disaster.
Pink Jeep makes a stop at Ardsley Station
According to the United States Department of Agriculture's website, people who may not be eligible for SNAP in normal circumstances can participate in D-SNAP if they meet specific criteria, but income is a factor. They also have to have suffered a loss.
The USDA announced Tuesday that they would be providing those benefits for several counties in Georgia, including Chatham.
Though, the benefits aren't available until Oct. 21, and the application isn't even available until then.
"I just pray Mayor Johnson and the police chief can get down to the origin of who put this post out," Teasley said. "Older people standing in line with walkers and stuff, it just wasn't right today."
If you already receive SNAP benefits and suffered food loss from Helene, you can apply for replacement benefits. That is unrelated to D-SNAP, though.
You can also apply for disaster relief funds from FEMA if you're in a qualifying county, but that is also completely separate from D-SNAP.
If you do need assistance, you should seek information from official government sources and reputable organizations like the United Way or the Red Cross.
