[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by markjames68

The question is unanswerable unless you knew the mental and financial state of everyone.

This

People have jobs they can't risk losing by being gone for days.

I have a friend who had to be back to work Monday, right after the storm.
I had to be back to work Tuesday.

It's like when there's a major blizzard up north...
Companies don't just shut down for days.

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by Bobdreamz

This might be a answer to your question:

44 percent of Americans couldn't cover an unexpected $400 expense

Why do you exclude food costs though? It is a vital expense and the state of Florida just gave people on food stamps their monthly allotment upfront to replace all food that will become ruined because of Irma.
The problem is you can't buy McDonald's or a rotissiere chicken at Publix with food stamps so lower income people have to use cash to eat out unless they can find somewhere to cook or heat up canned foods.

I heard on the news they waived the rules for hot food with food stamps right after the storm. I don't know if McD would accept them, but for supermarkets that sell prepared foods you could use them. The problem was that all their frozen and fresh foods were ruined when the power went out.

Once the power came back I went to McDonald's and they were only serving at the drive thru with a very limited menu of only hamburgers or double hamburgers, no cheese. McNuggets. fries and one or two other things.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by LifeIsGood01

I heard on the news they waived the rules for hot food with food stamps right after the storm. I don't know if McD would accept them, but for supermarkets that sell prepared foods you could use them. The problem was that all their frozen and fresh foods were ruined when the power went out.

Once the power came back I went to McDonald's and they were only serving at the drive thru with a very limited menu of only hamburgers or double hamburgers, no cheese. McNuggets. fries and one or two other things.

Here on the coast where we had whole areas without electricity for 5-10 days-even gas stations, grocery stores, and fast food places were closed-food stamps weren't doing much good for the people without cars to get to businesses that had electricity or generators.

We went into a Burger King 3 days after the storm and were greeted by" We don't have whoppers. We are out of fries, and only have chicken or whopper juniors and some types of soft drinks." Even yesterday when I grocery shopped we still have some empty shelves and empty freezers. Still having shortages and some things are just not available for delivery yet, according to my son who is a manager.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by Bobdreamz

This might be a answer to your question:

44 percent of Americans couldn't cover an unexpected $400 expense

Why do you exclude food costs though? It is a vital expense and the state of Florida just gave people on food stamps their monthly allotment upfront to replace all food that will become ruined because of Irma.
The problem is you can't buy McDonald's or a rotissiere chicken at Publix with food stamps so lower income people have to use cash to eat out unless they can find somewhere to cook or heat up canned foods.

I did see signs in some of the grocery stores, and in Walmart, that they would allow the use of food stamps for ready to eat foods after hurricane Irma. The signs announcing this also had a deadline (think I saw 9-30 as that deadline date) to be able to use the food stamps for these items.

But there is also nothing wrong with having to heat up canned foods, many of us have had to do that at times.