Council Member Mark Treyger, Chairman of the Committee on Recovery & Resiliency, strongly applauds members of Congress, including Rep. Grace Meng of Queens, for reintroducing the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act (H.R. 3066), which would allow houses of worship to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid. Current FEMA regulations exclude houses of worship from eligibility for disaster relief, even though there is no federal law specifically prohibiting congregations from receiving FEMA aid. In February, Council Member Treyger introduced a City Council resolution calling on Congress to pass this legislation, which would “amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to make houses of worship eligible, as private nonprofit facilities, to receive financial assistance from the federal government for the repair, restoration and replacement of facilities damaged or destroyed by major disasters, including Superstorm Sandy.”

The Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act was approved by the House of Representatives in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, but failed to clear the Senate. It was recently reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Meng (D-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Peter King (R-NY).

Following Hurricane Sandy, many local churches and congregations of all faiths were on the front lines in terms of assisting residents in the hours, days and weeks after the storm hit. At the same time, a number of churches across Coney Island and southern Brooklyn sustained serious damage that has impacted their services and other programs in the nearly three years since the storm. Despite the damage their buildings sustained, these houses of worship did not stop in their efforts to provide the community with water, food, clothing, shelter and other necessities during the long rebuilding effort following Hurricane Sandy.

“There is no question that houses of worship of all denominations played a vital role in helping residents and the entire community recover from Hurricane Sandy. At the same time, these congregations sustained damage to their buildings and properties that continues to impact their ability to serve the public nearly three years later. Houses of worship are on the front lines any time a disaster or tragedy impacts our community, so government must be there to help reimburse for services provided and assist with their own rebuilding efforts. I applaud Representatives Meng, Smith and King for taking this step towards equity and fairness when it comes to disaster relief for religious institutions, and I will continue to find ways to assist our local houses of worship as the long recovery from Sandy continues,” said Council Member Treyger.

“I thank Councilman Treyger for his leadership on this resolution, and appreciate him highlighting my efforts in the New York City Council. It’s hard to believe that it will soon be three years since Sandy wreaked havoc on our region. But it’s even harder to believe that houses of worship continue to be denied the same treatment that is afforded to other non-profit entities. This wrongheaded policy remains unacceptable, and we will keep up the fight until synagogues, churches, mosques and temples are permitted to receive this critical disaster aid from FEMA,” said Congresswoman Meng.

Council Member Treyger has worked in his role as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Recovery & Resiliency to find ways to assist houses of worship that were badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy. Earlier this year, the Council passed and the Mayor signed into law a bill creating a task force to review the role that houses of worship and charitable organizations played in the aftermath of Sandy and examine ways for government to reimburse these groups for expenses incurred while helping residents recover. In addition, Council Member Treyger worked with New York Disaster Interfaith Services and Samaritan’s Purse to secure funding for two Coney Island churches that played a key role in the Sandy recovery effort despite sustaining serious damage to their buildings.

(YWN Desk – NYC)