PORT NECHES, Texas — It has been three years since HurricaneRita, considered to be one of the worst storms ever on record,demolished the Gulf Coast.

Neches Federal Credit Union recalled the brutal destruction thehurricane inflicted on parts of Texas, Louisiana and several otherstates, causing more than 120 deaths and $11 billion in damageswith winds reaching more than 100 miles per hour. The financialinstitution was right in Rita's path, said Jason Duplant, marketingdirector. Fortunately, there was a disaster recovery plan in placethen that helped the credit union fare much better with HurricaneIke's recent wrath.

“Unfortunately, and fortunately, we've been through a couple ofthese storms so we have a very tight recovery plan,” Duplantsaid.

Located on the Gulf Coast in southeast Texas, Port Neches isnear Beaumont and Bridge City, the latter is one of several citiestoppled by Ike. Even though the town was ordered to evacuate, somechose to stay, Duplant said. The week following the hurricane,electricity was out and downed power lines and debris werescattered across the city. Many lost their homes due to flood andstructural damage. For its part, Neches FCU only sustained someminor roof damage.

Prior to Ike's landfall, the $231 million credit union spranginto gear with its disaster preparedness plan. One team wasresponsible for moving the call center and main operating systemsto the $45 million Las Colinas FCU in Irving, roughly five hoursaway. The two Texas credit unions formed an alliance duringHurricane Rita, Duplant explained.

Another team manned two branches in hard-hit areas as city andstate officials urged residents not to come back right awayfollowing the storm. Two branches were running on generator powerat one point. Employees were soon in place at Neches FCU's fivebranches, ready to receive members by that Wednesday after Ike hit.Members could only use the drive-thrus.

“Three employees' houses were destroyed to the point that theywill have to be gutted and rebuilt,” Duplant said. “There werepeople that had two to four feet of water in their homes.”

Despite the devastation to their homes, these same staffers wererelieved to see each other after the hurricane left and were happyto return to some semblance of normalcy, Duplant said. Members wereshocked and thrilled that their credit union was among the first toopen. Understandably, Duplant said, “some people's fuses wereshort” after reality set in on the overwhelming tasks that lieahead to rebuild homes and lives. He said the credit union did whatit could to soothe nerves and extend compassion. All fees werewaived through the week of the storm recovery and loans weredeferred for one month so that members could focus on the task ofrebuilding.

Additionally, a “Hurricane Care Team” blog was created to helpvictims connect with each other. This was the first time Neches FCUhad entered into the blog sphere, but it proved to be a lifelinefor many. The new site went up on the Friday after the hurricaneand almost immediately, posts appeared. Nearly 600 hits occurredover the course of a week. One touching story involved a familythat had lost literally everything in Hurricane Rita three yearsago. They would later build a new home only to have it completelywiped out by Ike. A blogger offered clothes to a woman whosechildren desperately needed clothes.

Members did not let Ike's aftermath stop them from getting backto normal. Duplant said the credit union's Magnolia and Dowlenbranches were each averaging about 300 transactions per day. LasColinas FCU handled more than 500 calls each day. By Sept. 21,Neches FCU had moved its systems back to Port Neches and on Sept.22, all five branches were open for business.

Duplant said the credit union worked tirelessly to stay inconstant communication with local media and members through dailyradio broadcasts, press releases, constant Web site updates andnewspaper and radio advertisements. The credit union's 106employees, under the leadership of Jason Landry, president/CEO,helped to carry out the many decisions that had to be madequickly.

“I think the main message is hurricanes are bad experiences, butit's sort of an opportunity for credit unions to separatethemselves from just another run-of-the-mill institution,” Duplant.“It was a sobering time for everybody. No matter what the disaster,we made the decision to serve our members and get back on our feetfast. For us, that's the only way to get back to normal, and Iknow, based on the feedback we've received, our members appreciateus.”

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