FLORIDA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Tuesday changes in food stamp rules in order to help the people of Florida and other states and U.S. territories ravaged by Hurricane Irma.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently approved a temporary waiver and supported other actions that will help households participating in the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Florida, Georgia and the Virgin Islands and the Nutrition Assistance Program in Puerto Rico access food in the wake of Hurricane Irma, including:

Allowing SNAP participants in Florida to buy hot foods and hot ready-to-eat foods with their benefits through September 30, 2017. Customers should inquire first if the retailer is equipped to process hot food purchases.

Supporting Florida’s plan to issue all September SNAP benefits on Sept. 7 and Georgia’s plan to issue all remaining benefits for September on Sept. 10; both actions will ensure families have access to their monthly benefits sooner during this time of immediate crisis.

Supporting Puerto Rico’s action to issue all September Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on Sept. 5, before the storm.

“USDA stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans struggling in the path of devastation created by this historic storm,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said. “Working with our state and private-sector partners, we are actively taking measures to ensure that people in these areas get the food they need.”