BEAUMONT, Texas – The president and CEO of MobilOil FCU wouldn’t leave her office at the approach of Hurricane Ike, so she had a rare opportunity to test her credit union’s disaster recovery plan last weekend as the storm washed over the region.
“Following Hurricane Rita, it’s great to see that the investment we made in our disaster recovery program has paid off for the credit union and our members,” said Kim Heinze, who watched the storm from her main office.
The $240 million credit union’s main office was open on Monday, but the credit union already was assisting the community before the work week started. Heinze walked into a nearby CVS on Sunday and learned that the pharmacy was shutting down because it didn’t have $1 bills to make change. The CEO headed back to the credit union, and with the help of her branch manager, pulled $200 in singles from a cash dispenser. “We banded them up and took them to the CVS cashier, who was so thankful,” Heinze said. “I knew residents needed the pharmacy to remain open during this very difficult time.”
Gary Davis’ determination to keep his CU up and running was apparent when $70-million Chocolate Bayou Community FCU’s main office in Alvin, Texas, was closed only one day after Ike ripped off half its roof.
“The water poured in,” said CEO Davis, who also chose to weather the hurricane at the credit union. “I heard a big noise and I knew that it was the roof. I thought it was the air conditioning units being torn away above my data processing room. Luckily that room was bone dry.”
Roofers arrived on Sunday and the credit union was operating under generator power on Tuesday, serving members from two computer terminals.
“Amazingly, members have been coming to us for deposits as much as withdrawals,” Davis explained. “Many of them got paychecks right before the storm hit and couldn’t get them deposited. They wanted to be able to use their debit cards. Our members have been so appreciative that we are open. I believe we are the only financial institution open in the area.”
In Port Neches, Texas, $236-million Neches FCU was expecting to have power restored to its main location on Wednesday to open drive-through lanes. But before the storm arrived, credit union staff put in overtime to help members.
“The day they called for mandatory evacuation we stayed open at all of our locations,” explained President and CEO Jason Landry. “Our staff stayed behind and we kept the drive-throughs operating as long as we could to help as many people as possible. We had lines out to the streets.”
When Ike made its swing through the upper Midwest on Sunday, downing trees and knocking out electricity to millions of homes and businesses, the lack of power didn’t prevent the Cincinnati-based Kemba CU from opening its doors on Monday.
The $380-million Kemba opened nine of its 10 branches for “limited services,” most operating under battery-powered emergency lighting, said President and CEO Steve Behler. “We had enough management staff to be at the front doors so security was not an issue. We decided to open because we knew our members needed access to their money and our service. That’s what we had to do.”
