CUNA Disaster Preparedness Committee meets in New Orleans

HARAHAN, La. (3/23/06)--The Credit Union National Association Disaster Preparedness Committee held its first meeting in New Orleans March 7-8, said the Louisiana Credit Union League.

League President/CEO Anne Cochran and Judy DaLucca, president/CEO of New Orleans Firemen's FCU, are members of the committee (eNews March 22), which is chaired by Guy Hood, president/CEO of the Florida Credit Union League.

The meeting began with a two-hour bus tour of the damage caused Hurricane Katrina last year, said the league. It included parts of Lakeview, New Orleans East, the Ninth Ward, Gentilly and St. Bernard Parish.

"The committee was shocked and very surprised with the vastness of the devastation," said Cochran. "One committee member commented to me that he had viewed photos and seen coverage on television, but only after seeing it for himself was he actually able to understand the magnitude of this disaster."

Committee members and CUNA Mutual Group Claims Manager Mike Retelle discussed lessons learned from the hurricane and past disasters such as 9/11 and Oklahoma City bombing, all of which affected credit unions directly. The group agreed the Credit Union System needs a comprehensive plan to manage resources that may be needed for future disasters, said the league.

Some of the lessons learned include:

• Leagues need a plan to coordinate all donated staff, equipment and items coming into the disaster area. Credit unions' needs should be posted on a preplanned website that donors can view.

• System providers and credit unions need cell phones outside their area. Establish relationships with a sister credit union at least 100 miles away. System-wide, there must be a central communication point. Before a hurricane hits, the central communicator must send out a communiqué reminding people of a central phone number and website they can turn to for updated information.

• Credit unions need to communicate immediately to members about where the credit union is operating, and how/where to provide help.

• The Credit Union System needs a centralized online donation system to facilitate an immediate and efficient flow of relief funds to the disaster area.

• The system needs an umbrella for communication and information, with resources to flow from that. Specifically, the system needs to reach consensus on a single source to offer a range of relief resources to a single contact person at each credit union or league who can make decisions. Let the credit union/league decide what it needs, when and where.

Possible components of the plan will include risk assessment, the development of a national database including credit union data processor providers, backup database sites and emergency phone numbers for key credit union staff, a detailed communications plan, and a central source to respond to the emergency needs of credit unions.

The committee is planning to present a white paper on disaster preparedness to the CUNA Board after completing its comprehensive plan, said the league.

Vice chairman of the committee is Paul Parish, president of Wings Financial FCU, Minnesota. Other members include Charles Elliott, president/CEO of the Mississippi Credit Union Association; Dick Ensweiler, president of the Texas Credit Union League; Lou Jimenez, president/CEO, Montauk CU, New York; Bucky Sebastian, president/CEO, GTE FCU, Florida; and Henry Wirz, president/CEO of SAFE CU, California.

Scott Earl, vice president of league relations, is CUNA's staff liaison to the committee. CUNA Mutual Group is an ex officio member. Also represented are: the Association of Corporate Credit Unions, the Defense Credit Union Council, the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors, National Credit Union Administration, National Credit Union Foundation, and the Service Centers.

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