By Kirk Drake | June 12, 2018

Preparing your Credit Union for a Hurricane

Hurricane season is upon us. After a nightmarish 2017 hurricane season featuring monster storms such as Harvey, Irma, and Maria, many in the U.S. are hoping for a quieter year. However, if we learned anything from these superstorms, we have learned that we need to be prepared and have a plan in place in case a hurricane hits.

How, where, when and to what extent the impact of impending storms will be felt has yet to be determined but the inevitable high winds, flooding and power outages are destined for those living in the region. We at Ongoing Operations believe that preparedness is key for your Credit Union.

Preparedness actions should include actions to prepare your staff, your operations, and also your own personal safety. Take a moment to:

1. Review your evacuation procedures
2. Verify your emergency contact lists
3. Begin preparations for extended downtime due to high winds and flooding. Click here to learn more about how to prepare your credit union before, during, and after a hurricane.

In major events such as a hurricane/tropical storm, flooding along with power outages pose the highest risk to your communities and Credit Union. Experience says to plan for outages from five to ten days in such an event.

So, what can you do TODAY for your Credit Union to mitigate the risks of an impending hurricane?

1. Update your emergency contact lists NOW! (Employee, vendors, the board of directors, etc.)
2. Have multiple ways to access this information. Power outages are almost a given during a hurricane. Hard copies or downloaded copies to your local machine will be invaluable.
3. Know where/when to meet should you and your leadership team be separated and unable to communicate. Pre-arrange with a local hotel or meet at Starbucks! Just make the plan in advance for post-storm communications.
4. Communicate to your employees the expectations for reporting post-event – are they okay, available to work?
5. Activate your DR/BCP plans to ensure continued operations.
6. Review your local, state and other emergency management resources for preparing your DR Kits (Battery operated radio, flashlights, water, etc). http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes is a good place to start.
7. You should also track the progress of a storm via the National Hurricane Center.

It can’t be said enough that good communications save lives! Take the pre-event time TODAY to communicate with your staff and members that you stand ready. We take your operational readiness very seriously here at Ongoing Operations and will partner with you to help. If you should need any assistance in storm preparations, please email us at info@ongoingoperations.com.

This article was originally published on CU Insight.

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