FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — The destruction from Hurricane Ike and the ability of credit unions to overcome tragedy and aid one another presented extraordinary "significance and meaning" to International Credit Union Day, the president/CEO of the Texas Credit Union League, Dick Ensweiler, declared in an e-mailed message to league members.

"Over the last several weeks, I have visited with our credit unions in southeast Texas who had the misfortune of being in the path of Hurricane Ike," wrote Ensweiler. "Knowing the magnitude of this hurricane, I expected to see damage, but I was not prepared for what I saw in community after community–total devastation."

"Seeing homes gutted and all their personal property scattered about their yard; entire shopping centers demolished with signage being the only evidence that a thriving business once occupied that space; barges flung onto the roadways where cars once traveled, and cadaver dogs sniffing the shoreline for the unfortunate ones who may have been caught in the fury of the storm," wrote Ensweiler. "I was overcome with despair, and concern for how those living in these communities, including our credit unions and the dedicated employees and volunteers who serve them, could even begin to rebuild their lives."