Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has directed the Department of Human Services to request outage information from WAPA so the territory can begin seeking federal approval for food-replacement assistance for SNAP households affected by the recent St. Thomas–St. John power failures.
The request starts a federal-review process; it is not approval of an automatic replacement payment or a territory-wide distribution. Government House did not announce a benefit amount or decision date.
Separately, DHS's existing household process may cover food lost during an electrical outage lasting at least four hours. Virgin Islands Consortium reports that an affected household must report the loss within 10 days, then submit the required form and supporting verification within 10 days after that report. Any replacement is limited to the value of the food lost or one month's allotment, whichever is lower.
St. Thomas households can contact DHS at 340-774-0930 or 340-774-2399, and St. John households at 340-776-6334, to confirm current instructions and required documents. Residents should distinguish that individual application process from the broader federal request now being prepared.
DHS should publish one dated notice with the household reporting form, acceptable proof, district contacts, federal-request status and any later approval or denial.
Source published October 25, 2026; official release does not display a publication time. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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