For many Greenwich families, the biggest loss from the July 4 storm wasn't power — it was a refrigerator full of spoiled food.

Connecticut residents who receive SNAP benefits and lost food during the holiday weekend outages have until Tuesday, July 14, to apply for replacement benefits through the state, Gov. Ned Lamont announced.

Households that were without electricity for at least four hours during the July 4 storm may qualify for reimbursement of spoiled food, up to their monthly SNAP benefit amount.

The storm left more than 100,000 customers without power statewide. In Greenwich, at least 1,144 Eversource customers were still without electricity as of July 5, according to the town's Office of Emergency Management.

"We want to get the word out that any SNAP recipients who lost food as a result of these outages may be eligible to have their benefits replaced," Lamont said in a statement. "Please do not wait."

Who qualifies?

Any Connecticut SNAP household that lost power for four or more hours and had food spoil during the storm is eligible to apply.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services will replace the value of the lost food, up to the household's monthly SNAP allotment.

How to apply

Residents must file a claim with the Department of Social Services by July 14. Applications can be submitted by:

Applicants may be asked to provide proof of the power outage, such as documentation from Eversource or another agency.

Approved benefits will be issued within 10 days of the report, or within two business days after DSS receives any required documentation.

The July 14 deadline is firm, and DSS will not accept new storm-related replacement claims after that date.