After being buried under more than seven feet of snow, business as usual has finally returned to credit unions in Buffalo, N.Y.
“We were swamped at work on Monday,” Marie T. Betti, president/CEO of the $41 million Western New York Federal Credit Union in West Seneca, N.Y., said. “Members were coming into the branch, of course, and the phone wouldn't stop ringing. It was a crazy day.”
Western New York FCU had been closed since Nov. 18 when an epic snowstorm slammed Buffalo's eastern and southern suburbs, leaving more than a dozen people dead, according to national media reports.
This severe weather event was the second in less than a year when the Buffalo region and other parts of upstate New York were slammed by a huge storm in January that dumped more than two feet of snow.
The $72 million Buffalo Community Federal Credit Union in Buffalo, was also forced to close two of its three branches from Nov. 18 to Nov. 22, according to James P. Furman, president/CEO of the cooperative.
The $88 million Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union, also in Buffalo, had to close its sole branch in the city for two days last week, Jeanne Stadler, operations manager, said.
Furman and Stadler said their branches didn't experience any damages.
“The town was just brought to its knees,” Furman said. “I've never seen anything like it. It was like a war zone in some places. People just abandoned their cars during the storm and got to where they could to try to get safety.”
Ron McLean, SVP for credit union relations and chief marketing officer for the New York Credit Union Association in Albany, N.Y., said the association contacted about 30 credit unions that were affected by the snowstorm.
“We have been calling and emailing credit unions,” McLean said Tuesday. “To date, no credit unions have requested assistance.”
Despite driving bans, Betti managed to make her way to Western New York FCU's sole branch on Saturday.
“I wanted to assess the branch and post transactions, including payroll transactions,” she said. “The drive normally takes about six to 10 minutes, but it took us about an hour. The roads were horrible.”
There was no branch damage and Betti and another employee successfully posted transactions, she said.
Because of rising temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, however, the 80 inches of snow began to melt, leading to flooding in rivers, streets, yards and basements.
Water was seeping into the basement of Western New York FCU's branch on Monday threatening its archives. As the water was flowing in, Betti, with the help of others, managed to drain the water through a hose that led to sump pump, she said.
At Betti's home, it was another story. From the weight of the snow, the roof of her sunroom collapsed.
“The Florida room is filled with snow,” she said. “I'm not even going to think about it right now. The insurance guy is coming on Monday from Florida.”
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