Line up communications ahead of disaster
WASHINGTON (6/29/06)—Are credit unions and leagues ready with disaster preparedness and business continuity plans for the next disaster? According to a panel on disaster recovery at the AACUL PR/Communications/GAPS Conference this week, working out communications plans in advance is key to continuing business during a disaster.
The Credit Union National Association's (CUNA's) disaster recovery and preparedness team is working on assisting communications between the leagues and CUNA, the leagues and credit unions, and credit unions and their members, Scott Earl, vice president, league relations, told communicators Tuesday at the conference, held in Washington, D.C., through today.
Two leagues among those that have borne the brunt of hurricanes the past two years--the Louisiana and Florida credit union leagues—also reiterated that keeping communications active is the most important thing credit unions and leagues can do.
"We're as 100% prepared as we can be," said Connie Major, executive vice president of the Louisiana league. "But one thing we've learned (from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita) is that every disaster is different. We have a plan in place, but it will probably need to be tweaked."
She noted that credit unions and leagues should not get too confident about what they are told by media. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, league staff left the office thinking the hurricane was headed for Florida. But the storm shifted. "Disaster happens in a snap of a finger, and we didn't do what we normally would do." Katrina hit and damaged the league's offices. It was 3 ½ months before league staff could return, she said.
There were 96 credit unions in New Orleans "and the day after Katrina hit, we didn't know where they were or what their backup plans were." The league spent the next several days trying to locate credit unions and their staff, help them set up elsewhere and help members locate their credit unions. "The faces and desperation of credit union members was heartbreaking," Major said.
This time around will be different. The league recently sent 250 surveys to its credit unions asking for their plans and got an almost 100% return, Major said. The league also has 16 switch numbers on its 800 number to ensure access.
Amy Jowers, communications coordinator at the Florida league, went through four hurricanes in 2004 in her state. "Every two weeks we had a hurricane," she said. The biggest help was having an Xcel list of credit union CEOs' numbers before the storms hit.. "We had their cell phone, home phone, and evacuation location numbers, and provided an emergency backup plan with an 800 number for credit union staff and members. We recorded their message, such as telling employees 'Don't come in to work,' or announcing the hours the credit union is working. "
Jowers said the league also stayed in touch with media in the affected area and updated the status of credit unions on its website. The media and even the regulators monitored the league site for updates, too. "We also sent out satellite phones before the storms to the areas where we thought it would hit."
Major cautioned against relying on satellite phones, which work only outside and where there was nothing else--such as a building-- blocking the signal. 'The government and the military came in and quarantined the cell and satellite phones." She found text messaging on Blackberries was helpful.
Shared branching also saved the day in terms of serving members, said Earl.
The movement's full scale disaster preparedness plan will be ready during fourth quarter, he said, reiterating that CUNA has contracted for an 800 number, 877-CULOCATE, will help members locate their credit unions.
Compounding the communications problems during last year's hurricanes were the thousands of people who wanted to help and didn't know how or who to contact until CUNA's Relief Effort for Credit Unions (R.E.S.C.U.).
Many organizations sent new equipment and are still doing so because the effects of Katrina and Rita are still being felt. A case in point: Recently, Canon USA, a strategic alliance partner of CUNA, donated a photocopying machine to Tulane/Loyola FCU in New Orleans, which had been operating without one since the hurricanes.
Earl told the group that many credit unions gave away personal computers and other equipment that they were getting rid of, and the credit unions receiving them found the systems incompatible, a lower edition or less powerful than what they originally had. "A PC is not a bottle of water," he said. And, said Major, if the gift was incompatible, the credit union receiving it also had the added burden of getting rid of the donated equipment.
In the initial aftermath of a disaster, what's needed most are mobile ATMs and modular units to operate from and generators. But for longer-term needs, "Cash is king," said Earl.
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