BATON ROUGE – Residents who receive SNAP and lost their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards do to flooding can still make purchases using an EBT card number and pin.

According to state officials, SNAP recipients who lost their card should contact the EBT call center at 1-888-997-1117 for a replacement card. Those recipients will be given a new card number and will have to set a new PIN.

Recipients can make purchases using this method until Sept. 6, 2016.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services said they received federal approval from the US. Department of Agriculture to use this temporary process.

DCFS also reports that SNAP and DSNAP recipients can also use their EBT cards to purchase hot or prepared foods through October 17.

The hot food approval letter from the US. Department of Agriculture says the following:

 "the State has noted that removal of this exception is necessary to avoid undue hardship for Louisiana citizens affected by the severe storms and flooding because of widespread evacuations in parishes and resulting in clients who are unable to purchase food for home preparation and consumption because they have been displaced. Many affected households are residing in shelters or temporary housing and are unable to store food or access cooking facilities."

Without this waiver, hot foods and hot foods ready for immediate consumption are not eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.