By Sarah Snell Cooke, Principal, Cooke Consulting Solutions

“People are the forgotten aspect of disaster recovery.”

That was the conclusion of James Green, a business continuity professional with Strategic BCP and also formerly PSCU.

Green lives in Florida and was affected by Hurricane Irma. In the aftermath of Irma that hit the state in September of 2017, residents were without power for weeks during the sweltering summer heat. Families cooked meals outside over open flames and slept in their cars, CNN reported. For many, the idea of a hot meal was a dream.

But Green located a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that had a generator and was open for business. The quality of the meals had always been questionable, he shared chuckling, but the fact it was open for business to serve its community at great expense—charging its usual, reasonable prices—was more important to the community than what it was passing off as food. Even now, months after the crisis, Green still returns to that restaurant on a regular basis, not because he developed a taste for it, but he wants to support the restaurant the way it supported him and the community.

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Green developed a presentation for credit unions during his time at PSCU a couple years ago that emphasized helping members return to a state of normalcy and alleviating the emotional and psychological anguish they faced in crisis. He described the response as “not well received.” Churches really lead the way in disaster recovery efforts, he suggested, and while it’s a different application, they have the same purpose of people helping people. Why credit unions cannot or will not serve that purpose frustrated him considerably.

The same thought struck Susan Mitchell, CEO of organizational and leadership development firm Mitchell, Stankovic and Associates, after the mass shooting in her home of Las Vegas. Why isn’t somebody doing something about the social impact of crises like these? And why can’t it be credit unions?

The Underground Community is creating a white paper on creative social disaster recovery solutions. We’d love to hear yours! Email [email protected] with your ideas!

Faith-based organizations aren’t just raising funds but rolling up their sleeves to help communities struck by disaster to get back to normal. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is well-known as experts in case management, such as navigating FEMA assistance and state and private aid programs, USA Today reported, while The Convoy of Hope, an nondenominational Christian organization, is the go-to place for feeding disaster victims. Samaritan’s Purse loads up pickup trucks with chainsaws and cleanup experts to remove debris. The efforts are intricately coordinated through FEMA to efficiently and effectively get the community back in shape. UMCOR alone provides 20,000 trained volunteers for disaster recovery and relief.

If credit unions truly want to build a relationship with its members, running a program to train volunteers in disaster recovery is an excellent option. It demonstrates commitment to the community and building a better world, not only restoring normalcy to those affected by disaster but also giving members to renew their faith in humanity and institutions by bringing them together for a common cause. (Then if you ask them to support you in state and local government, they will have a greater sense of belonging and ownership and be eager to help!)

And do not forget the public relations angle. There is no shame in letting people know what you’re doing for the community. If you don’t, how are they going to find you to obtain all the great services you’re providing, whether it’s 0% emergency loans or a blood drive. Green pointed out that Chick-Fil-A hands out free meals in disasters and extends its hours. Chase Bank suspended late fees and extended its hours during Irma. If you’re not telling your members what you’re doing for them, they will think, “Chase did that. Why didn’t my credit union?”

Your credit union may have gone above and beyond, but if no one knows, they don’t know. You have to tell them through public relations, marketing, social media, skywriting, whatever!

Credit unions can offer up their facilities for meeting points for people who get separated from their families in a crisis, Green suggested. They can run power strips for those without power to charge their cell phones. “This is a way for credit unions to really endear themselves to consumers in a way that banks wouldn’t,” Green concluded.

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