Tens of thousands of people were waiting in line for hours at Camping World Stadium Saturday in search of food assistance as the area continues to recover from Hurricane Irma, but those who arrived later in the day weren’t able to sign up.
The line for the event closed early, but those that made it in to line were expected to be served, according to officials.
Sign ups begin again Sunday morning at 7 a.m.
Teresa Dawson finally made it to the front of the line Saturday by 2 p.m. — she got there at 6:30 in the morning.
“It was horrible,” Dawson said. “The line started at the Citgo.”
Nearly eight hours later, the line still stretched about half as far down the Church Street block where people stood waiting to sign up for aid.
Florida Department of Children and Families spokesman David Ocasio said that as of 3 p.m., the plan is to serve everyone in line.
He said the day went as expected. Closing off the line has not been unusual — especially on the first and second days — in other Food for Florida events that have taken place over the past four weeks.
“It’s just a numbers game,” Ocasio said. “If we hadn’t shut the line at 9:30 or 10, it would be all the way out to Winter Park by now.”
Stephanie Brooks, 45, of Orlando, suffered damage to her house and lost food in the five days she spent without electricity after Irma. By 3 p.m., the mother of five complained of an aching back after standing in line for eight hours.
“It’s worth it because me and my family could use it,” Brooks said.
When asked whether she thought she would be helped by the end of the day, Brooks flashed a weak smile and said, “I hope I do.”
In anticipation of large crowds expected to apply for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, officials also split up registration by last name and transportation officials warned of traffic delays in the area.
Those with last names starting with A through F were invited to apply Saturday; G through J were asked to apply Sunday; K through O takes place Monday; and P through Z takes place Tuesday. Wednesday is a make-up day for all county residents.
Ocasio said DCF had 600 people working the event Saturday. They were expecting to process about 20,000 people per day and had gotten through about 9,000 by 2:30 p.m.
Dawson said after she suffered car and property damage and lost about $200 worth of food that spoiled without electricity — she was willing to wait.
Many among the thousands waiting brought lawn chairs and coolers, prepared for a long wait.
Tensions ran high among some who said they’d been waiting since dawn. Arguments broke out at several points in the afternoon when those in line accused others of skipping. When security would emerge to break up the argument, those around would cheer.
Registration for DSNAP was advertised as being open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Applicants should bring valid Florida drivers licenses or identification cards.
In Seminole, registration was at Orlando Live Events, 6405 S. U.S. Highway 17-92 in Casselberry.
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, more than 683,500 applications for federal disaster food assistance have been processed statewide as of Oct. 19. DCF said more than $954 million in federal food assistance has already been distributed.
To qualify for the one-time aid, applicants must have lived or worked on Sept. 5 in one of the 48 counties declared a disaster area by FEMA, and they cannot already receive food stamps through the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP. They also must have suffered a disaster-related loss, such as loss of food, loss of income or damage to their homes or property used for self-employment.
Staff Writer Kate Santich contributed to this report.
