CU in Alabama helps Gustav-displaced CU
WETUMPKA, Ala. (9/5/08)--Alabama State Employees (ASE) CU, Wetumpka, Ala., opened its doors to help a Louisiana credit union whose disaster recovery plan for Hurricane Gustav needed a change.
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Staff members from ASI FCU, Harahan, La., served their members through two conference rooms and the CEO's office at Alabama State Employees CU, Wetumpka, Ala., this week after ASI's alternate locations for disaster recovery from Hurricane Gustav did not work out. (Photo provided by Alabama State Employees CU)
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Mignhon Tourne, ASI CU CEO, told News Now that ASI decided to change the geographic location in its disaster recovery plan when it realized that its alternate location may be without power due to the direction Gustav was traveling.
Harahan, La.-based ASI looked at relocating temporarily to Memphis, Tenn., or Montgomery, Ala. After researching ASE and realizing that its asset size was comparable to ASI's, Tourne made the call to ASE's CEO, Ned McHenry.
"Ned answered the phone immediately and said 'Come up here,'" Tourne said.
McHenry told Tourne that the credit union had two conference rooms available for its staff to use. "I felt like we had something to help them out," McHenry told News Now.
ASI's disaster recovery team traveled to Montgomery last weekend to set up. The information technology staff from ASI left for Montgomery ahead of everyone else, and set up Internet access and phone lines at the credit union on Monday.
ASE was "absolutely great," Tourne said. "ASE deserves a lot of recognition and thanks for the helping hand it extended."
"It was a good experience for us as it was for them," McHenry said.
Other ASI staff members stayed behind in Harahan until the credit union closed for business Saturday afternoon. Montgomery is about a four-hour drive from New Orleans, but the staffers who left later were caught in "bumper-to-bumper traffic" and made the drive in nine to 12 hours, Tourne said.
About 21 ASI employees, their families and 12 pets made the trip. They stayed in a Montgomery hotel that "went out of its way" to help the credit union staff members. "They were fantastic," Tourne said.
Tourne was heading back to ASI in Harahan while talking to News Now Thursday, and said parts of New Orleans were without power.
The credit union planned to restore service by Monday, she said.
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