Disaster recovery and business continuity plans are a must to respond to crises like the 9/11 terrorist attack, but the crisis doesn't always have to be that dramatic to warrant a back-up plan. Sometimes it could be an unexpected four feet of snow dumped in your region, like the mid-Atlantic experienced over the last week or so, or a power outage or both. How many credit unions were prepared?

Often during crisis, access to cash, like in Haiti after the earthquake, is crucial for the people affected. Keeping ATMs well-stocked when you may not be able to open the office, offering virtual tellers at banking centers as well as full-service ATMs and kiosks and Internet banking with bill pay can all help your members better deal with the crisis. If your employees can get to the branch but there's no power, does your credit union have a back-up power supply and fuel? Don't forget employees must be trained on how to use the generator. Additionally, all files should be stored at a separate facility at a distant location and ensure easy and secure access by those who need it.

For those credit unions that have all this in place and more, please forgive me. The subject just seemed apropos as I sit snowbound in my home on my laptop remotely accessing all our networks to do my part in getting this magazine out. Credit Union Times has a small but geographically diverse staff that-while snowed out of the D.C. office most of the week and despite a foot of snow with sleet on top in Hoboken, N.J., another key office for us-can put out a quality magazine that our readers keep coming back to week after week, year after year and now decade after decade. Our loyal readers are why we cannot allow ourselves to fail but continue to excel. And I want to take this opportunity to thank our staff for upholding this ideal, including our back up team in Erlanger, Ky.