NEW ORLEANS — Credit unions across the Gulf Coast were putting disaster preparedness into high readiness Friday awaiting the possible Labor Day arrival of tropical storm Gustav.
"Here we are on Friday, the very day we have the third anniversary of Katrina and this time we've learned our lessons well and we have the cash and the communications systems in place," said Charles Elliott, president/CEO of the Mississippi Credit Union League and one of the industry's well-scarred warriors from the 2005 disaster.
A major concern as evident from Katrina failings, said Elliott, "is whether the phone companies and the cell phone outfits will have their systems functioning and of course we are worried about fuel, too."
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The Louisiana Credit Union League, along with those in Texas, Florida and Alabama, said they had also updated Web sites and arranged numerous links with federal and state agencies and CUNA to provide CUs with the latest information on disaster preparedness. The Louisiana League said it has set up a precedent-setting hookup with the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions to activate TelSpan, an emergency telephone response system.
The Florida League, which saw scores of member CUs close during tropical storm Fay, said that calamity "was kind of helpful since it gave us a way to really test new hurricane preparedness networks."
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