WASHINGTON–With an earthquake in North Carolina, a fire in California, a hurricane/tropical storm along the East Coast, damaging storms in the Upper Midwest and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic—and that’s in just the last two weeks—the National CU Foundation is urging every CU to have at least one person download its new CUAid Disaster Recovery app.
The first-ever app from the Foundation is designed to “streamline and connect credit union organizations with one another when disasters strike to quickly coordinate resources,” with the Foundation adding the app will help “harness the collective generosity of the movement” in the wake of any number of disasters.
NCUF Executive Director Gigi Hyland is urging credit unions to download the app and put it in the hands of their business continuity person. She noted the app includes a list of the types of resources available to a credit union, while also allowing the credit union itself ahead of time to double-check its disaster recovery and business continuity plan.
In terms of the way the app allows credit unions to match needs, Hyland joked, “This is like the Tinder version of a disaster plan.”
For instance, a credit union may have a need for a generator following a power outage, she said, and the app might help identify a generator available from another credit union not that far away.
A Lesson Learned
Hyland said the new Foundation app is a classic example of a lesson learned, noting the impetus for its development was a conversation held with representatives of Florida-based PSCU in the wake of Hurricane Michael in 2018.
“There was a need for credit unions to connect with one another on things that were not covered under the (disaster recovery) portions of their plans,” she said.
“This is more, ‘Oh my god, disaster has struck.’ There is an immediate need for credit union to credit union communications, to notify the league.”
Following Michael, credit unions found landline phone systems down and some of their facilities hit hard, but many people had cellphones available and working.
“It’s a form of communication that’s specific and directed to the right person,” Hyland explained, adding the app manifests the cooperative principle of cooperatives helping cooperatives.
Making App More Robust
Hyland noted a credit union can download the app or access it for the first time following a disaster, but it’s much more robust if prepopulated ahead of time. Moreover, the CU can also prepare a checklist using the app and then cross-check itself against that checklist, she said.
Hyland said the person who registers the app at each credit union should be the main point of contact, such as the CIO, who will act as administrator. That would still allow the vice president of lending, for instance, to access the act if a lending-related issue arises as the result of a disaster and needs to be addressed, for instance. Additional CU employees can be added as “members” on the app.
The first person from the credit union to register is set up as an Admin and that person can then add new users and adjust roles of all other users for the credit union. They can also change/update the Prepare form, browse the database and submit a disaster. Member-users can log in and search the database, view but not change information and submit a disaster.
Sponsors Provide Support
Hyland said about a year passed from brainstorming to point of introduction. Financial support for the app was provided by CUNA Mutual and FIS, with PSCU making in-kind contributions to the development. The app itself was built by CUApps. Hyland called it “an all-round system effort.”
Donations to CUAid can also be made using the app.