NEW ORLEANS—It's going to be a while before many credit unions in southern Louisiana have power from the electric grid, and it may be some time before staff can get to their locations to assess damage from Hurricane Ida, the Louisiana CU League is reporting.
In Mississippi, meanwhile, beyond power outages most credit unions reportedly weathered the storm without damage/
Louisiana League SVP Lacey Weaver told CUToday.info that Monday was an "an emotional day" for many within the Louisiana credit union community.
"Local governments are advising evacuees not to return home yet," Weaver said. "The damage is so severe that credit union personnel cannot get to their branches to assess damages yet."
If there is any good news it is that the majority of the levees underwent major improvements after Hurricane Katrina, which devastated Louisiana exactly 16 years ago on Sunday.
"Ida posed the biggest test to the levees since that disaster," Weaver said. "Although the levees seemed to have held, Hurricane Ida twisted and collapsed a giant transmission tower along the Mississippi River. That destroyed the electrical grid and caused a complete blackout across a wide swath of the state. Electricity is expected to be restored anywhere from three to seven weeks. Communication has been minimal due to little to no cell service in effected areas."
Weaver said approximately 80 credit unions in Louisiana were forced to close on Monday.
"Many of these credit unions, if not all, will remain closed until further notice," she explained. "There have seem to have been no disruption in servicing members through online and mobile services that we are aware of. However, assessments are just getting underway."
"We are asking that those wishing to help with financial assistance can do so by contributing directly to the Louisiana Foundation, which will be issuing quick cash grants to credit union employees affected by Hurricane Ida," Weaver said.
Donations can be made via this link.
Report From Mississippi
Ida slammed into Louisiana with 150-mile-per-hour winds, knocking out power to more than one million customers, according to early reports from credit union officials.
“We’re OK up here in the middle of Mississippi,” Charles Elliott, president and CEO of the Mississippi CU Association, told CUToday.info.
Elliott, whose office is in Jackson Miss., shared the news Monday as the remnants of Hurricane Ida were still rolling through his state.
“We still have 30-mile-per-hour winds, but from what I have heard, credit unions in our state are OK,” he said, noting many CUs in Mississippi were closed on Monday.
But just as power outages were some of the biggest problems in New Orleans, Elliott confirmed a lack of power is also an issue for credit unions in the southern part of Mississippi.
“Again, here, we are doing surprisingly well,” said Elliott. “But I heard that all eight of the electricity transmission lines coming into New Orleans failed.”
Reports indicate the primary hazard in Ida’s patch is life-threatening flash flooding—as the storm brought massive rainfall totals—and the potential for tornadoes.
Elliott shared his concerns again for credit unions, staff and members in the hardest-hit areas, but believes credit unions have the experience necessary to survive and help members.
“We are accustomed to these storms,” Elliott said about the leagues and credit unions located in Mississippi and Louisiana. “We’ve been through a bunch of these before.”
The Storm’s Path
Ida is expected to continue to weaken as a tropical storm but still bring heavy rain today to Tennessee before passing over eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northwestern Virginia and then traveling over other portions of the northeast.