CARMEL, Ind.–Credit unions and partner companies across the country have announced donations, physical assistance and even rolling barbecues to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Allied Solutions, for instance, said it has made tremendous efforts to deploy a dedicated team of claims professionals to help those affected by Hurricane/Tropical Strom Harvey. Allied said it is working to ensure its client CUs and their members have the support they need as catastrophe continues to unfold.
“Allied is committed to delivering on our promise to pay claims,” said Pete Hilger, CEO and president at Allied Solutions. “The financial strength of our insurance carriers means we are in a great place to deliver on our commitment to our clients.”
Allied said it has deployed a specialized team of experienced adjusters in its Plano, Texas, office to service both clients and members, and that a dedicated catastrophe helpline (1-888-857-2012) has been put in place to ensure claim reporting is quick and easy for clients who have been affected by the destruction.
“We are also assembling a team that will be proactively notifying our lenders in affected areas and alerting them to the related exposure, and we are ramping up resources to ensure we are proactively addressing the needs of those impacted,” the company said.
For more information, Allied Solutions is directing credit unions to its Claims Alert.
Other donations being made by credit unions include:
- In Colorado Springs, Colo., Ent Credit Union has made two donations totaling $50,000 to support communities and credit unions impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Ent has made a $40,000 donation to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and a $10,000 donation to CUAid.coop.
“At Ent, we’ve seen first-hand how impactful it can be when people come together to help each other — and their community — recover from a natural disaster,” said Randy Bernstein, Ent’s president and CEO. “While Ent has a small number of members who may potentially be impacted by Hurricane Harvey, we believe in the power of ‘people helping people’ and in supporting our fellow credit unions in Texas and Louisiana.”
- In Harrisburg, Penn., Pennsylvania State Employees CU said it is making a $20,000 donation to recovery efforts, and is also matching member donations up to an additional $80,000, increasing its potential give to a total of $100,000.
“At PSECU, we make it a priority to follow the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people,’ and with that in mind, we feel strongly that as an organization we need to take action to help those facing severe challenges as a result of heavy rains, wind, and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Making financial contributions to charities that are doing work on the scene is how we are ensuring that funds are deployed quickly and efficiently to help those in need,” said PSECU Board Chair Joseph Sassano. “We also felt that it was important for us to give our more than 400,000 members the opportunity to contribute to the cause and help make a difference. Our matching commitment aims to strengthen their individual giving ability.”
PSECU said its initial $20,000 donation will be shared equally among eight national and international charities, including the National Credit Union Foundation, that are aiding hurricane recovery in diverse ways. Each of the charities will receive $2,500 to support their efforts.
To be counted toward PSECU’s $80,000 matching commitment, the credit union’s members’ donations must be made to one of the selected charities using a PSECU credit or debit card or PSECU Bill Payer service. After 90 days, the credit union will calculate total member donations and distribute the matching funds among the charities proportionate to members’ giving preferences.
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In Newport News, Va., Langley FCU said it donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross to support their relief efforts in the Houston area.
"As a credit union, our philosophy has always been about 'people helping people', so it was only natural for us to reach out to the people of Texas and help," stated Langley President/CEO Tom Ryan. "Our hearts and prayers are with those affected by this devastating natural disaster." - SWBC reported it took its BBQ pit trailer and headed south to the coast. Over two days, the team served more than 1,000 hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausage wraps to residents and volunteers. “They also gathered numerous supplies and gave them to those in need,” the company said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected.”
- In Beaumont, Texas, CU*South reported it fielded one call from a member wanting to know if there was any fresh water at the credit union. That was among the many calls the company received as it added more support specialists to its call center to assist members of the 15 CUs with which it works in Texas and Louisiana.
- “We perform disaster recovery drills three times a year,” said Derrick Smith, COO of CU*SOUTH. “And still, we learn something new every time a real disaster strikes. Our recovery drills focus primarily on data processing – making sure members’ financial records are secure and accessible 24x7 through the cloud. That part was perfect – so then we focused on the individual member support.”
“Communication is key, and planning that communication needs to happen before a disaster strikes,” added CEO Leo Vaulin. “We work with credit unions to develop contingency messaging for websites and Facebook posts… if this happens, here’s what you can do. We pre-plan the messages with CU management, so when the actual event occurs, we already know what to post.”
The company also noted that its core software platform, CU*BASE, makes it possible for Credit Union “A” to serve the members of Credit Union “B” – all that is needed is an agreement based on “rules of engagement.”
The company said it is now working with CUs in the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma approaches and has activated its Event Response Team (ERT) for St. Thomas and St. Croix.
- In Delray Beach, Fla., IBM Southeast Credit Union said it will donate $10,000 to assist victims from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. IBMSECU is donating $5,000 to CUaid and another $5,000 to the American Red Cross. “Coming together to help other credit unions and their members is extremely important to us. We are all about ‘People Helping People’ and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey,” said CEO Michael Miller.
- In Melbourne, Fla., Space Coast Credit Union (SCCU) has donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross to support Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. “This is one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history, and our thoughts and prayers are with Texas,” said Timothy M. Antonition, SCCU president and chief executive officer. “People helping people is a core principle of credit unions, and we felt compelled to contribute to the hurricane relief efforts. It is the right thing to do.”
- Patelco Credit Union in Pleasanton, Calif., said it has activated its Member Disaster Relief Plan to aid its members affected by Hurricane Harvey and the catastrophic flooding in Texas and Louisiana. In addition, the credit union is donating $5,000 to the National Credit Union Foundation through its disaster relief system called CUAid.coop, which will directly benefit credit union people affected by the storm. Patelco said its Disaster Relief Program provides immediate access to financial resources to members in good standing affected by a natural disaster such as Hurricane Harvey. This program includes access to no-or low-cost loans, reimbursement of non-network ATM fees, deferred loan payments and more.
“With the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey affecting around 1,000 Patelco members throughout Texas and Louisiana, we are ready to help,” said Patelco’s President and CEO, Erin Mendez.
Meanwhile, NCUA said it is urging credit unions in the path of Hurricane Irma to take precautions as the storm bears down on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. mainland.
Hurricane Irma is currently a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. It is expected to strike the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today. The storm could reach the U.S. mainland, most likely South Florida, as early as Saturday.
NCUA said it is tracking Hurricane Irma closely and will monitor the conditions of credit unions in the storm’s path. The agency will be ready to assist credit unions with maintaining or restoring operations, if necessary. The agency maintains a hurricane and disaster information page on its website with more material on preparedness and staying safe.
Credit union members with questions may contact the NCUA’s Consumer Assistance Center at 800-755-1030 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET. The NCUA’s Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives can provide urgent needs grants of up to $7,500 to low-income credit unions that experience sudden costs to restore operations interrupted by the storm.