FEMA changes policy to allow churches to get disaster aid
AUSTIN – Churches will now be eligible for federal disaster relief after three Texas houses of worship were part of court action that was filed after Hurricane Harvey and other major destructive storms struck last year.
Under revised guidelines handed down this week by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, houses of worship hit by natural disasters “will not be singled out for disfavored treatment.”
“We’re delighted that FEMA will start treating us like other charitable groups,” said Charles Stoker, whose Hi-Way Tabernacle Church of Cleveland, Texas, was among the three Texas churches and two Florida synagogues that sued the federal agency over its policy. “And we look forward to continuing to help our neighbors as they recover from Harvey.”
FEMA announced the updated policy with the release of its Public Assistance and Policy Guide. It cited the June 2017 Supreme Court ruling that said a Missouri state agency violated the First Amendment when it denied assistance to a church that was available to other entities.
Read more: http://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/texas/state-bureau/2018/01/03/fema-changes-policy-allow-churches-get-disaster-aid/1001343001/
