By Michael McKinley
As we all turn our focus to the recovery that's
underway after Hurricane Harvey, evacuations are underway in Florida and
surrounding regions in the predicted path of Hurricane Irma. So, disaster
preparedness is an active concern for many of the credit unions we serve.
Our Customer Disaster Response team deployed toTexas last Thursday, working its way up the coast and affected inland areas to
help credit unions begin and continue their recovery from the damage Harvey
left in its wake. Since recovery lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey may be
useful to your or any credit union, we're sharing a few here.
We’ve collected a few of the many challenges we
observed in Texas into four questions to ask yourself as you begin preparing for
emergency conditions your credit union may face now or in the future:
How will you access and provide access to cash?
As people
return home to survey, repair and recover after a natural disaster like Harvey,
they'll need access to cash. Do you have contracts and plans in place with
vendors to deliver it to your branch? Do you have a vendor who can bring in mobile ATMs?
Activating plans like these quickly will make a vital difference for the
people, businesses and families you serve.
Do you have an alternate location for serving members?
What if
your branch or branches are so heavily damaged that serving members isn't
possible? Do you have a plan for setting up shop somewhere else? Do you have
contracts in place to activate a temporary physical location for your offices?
Or, do you have agreements with another area credit unions to share branches?
This can be key in preventing service interruptions for members who will need
your help.
Can you activate alternate staffing?
In the
case of a hurricane, it’s important to keep in mind that the people who work in and
for your credit union may be personally impacted by conditions like flood
damage to their homes. Do you have a plan for alternate staffing? This can be
vital to your ability to serve members in the days and weeks following a
natural disaster. While working remotely may be an option for some
employees, it's not a guarantee for all -- especially if their homes experience
power interruptions or damage to their communications infrastructure.
How will you communicate with members?
Knowing
how you'll reach out and stay connected with members before, during and after a
disaster is critical. Do you have a plan that maps out how and what you'll
communicate? How will you let members know the ways they can access cash and funds? They'll need it to cover things like gas, food, lodging, cleanup
supplies and more. Do you know how they can connect with relief efforts? This can be life-changing information for people and
families faced with unexpected expenses.
For
credit unions -- or anyone -- being prepared for a disaster isn't easy. But,
there are plenty of people ready to help you prepare and recover when the
unexpected happens. Our team is one of many, many work groups who has been
working with affected Texans -- as well as credit unions who are anticipating what Irma will bring.
To
help support credit unions, employees and members affected by Hurricane Harvey,
The
National Credit Union Foundation and the Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation
activated CUAid.coop last week. It’s raising money for credit union people
affected by the storm and its aftermath. You can connect to donate or apply for relief funds here.
And, as we all
brace for Irma, The National Credit Union Administration provides Disaster
Recovery information and resources for credit unions and consumers in a dedicated
site you can find here.
For the credit
unions we serve, we also provide emergency preparedness training, information
and bulletins through our
Disaster Recovery website.
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