When Hurricane Harvey roared ashore in Texas, it ripped a path of destruction that didn't discriminate, but now that the recovery effort has begun, there are concerns that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is denying help to churches, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"When the fire fighter pulls up to a building, they don’t stop and check to see if it's a synagogue. And when FEMA pulls up to a church, they shouldn’t be saying, "Oh, it's a church. I'm not going to help them ou't," their attorney, Daniel Blomberg with the Becket Fund, the non-profit religious liberty law firm, tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
A trio of churches have filed suit in Houston's federal court. The Harvest Family Church in Cypress, Hi-Way Tabernacle in Cleveland and Rockport First Assembly of God were all damaged in the storm. In the case of the Hi-Way Tabernacle, Blomberg says they transformed a part of their church into a FEMA staging center after the storm. When they turned around and asked for aid, they were rebuffed, citing agency policy.
"Its religious discrimination, on its face, written into federal policy," he says.
The churches may have case law on their side. The Supreme Court recently ruled 7-2 in the Trinity Lutheran case, protecting the right of religious organizations to participate in generally available programs on equal footing with secular organizations.
They also have the backing of President Donald Trump, who took to twitter, supporting their cause.
"Churches in Texas should be entitled to reimbursement from FEMA Relief Funds for helping victims of Hurricane Harvey (just like others)," the President tweeted.