CU Hawaii Branch Stays Open in Shadow of Kilauea

Employees and members of CU Hawaii Federal Credit Union are taking it a day at a time as they head into a third week of earthquakes, lava flows and sulfur dioxide emissions from the eruption of the Kilauea volcano.

The Hilo-based credit union, which has $292 million in assets and about 28,000 members, has a branch in the town of Pahoa, which is on the eastern side of the Big Island and about six miles from where several fissures and lava flows have been reported. As of Tuesday afternoon, employees were safe and the branch was open, CU Hawaii AVP and Marketing Manager Cheryl Marzo told CU Times.

“When the eruptions first started, they could hear it at the branch,” she said.

Marzo, whose own home is nine or 10 miles from the flow, said members are still coming into the branch in Pahoa.

“Some of them are members that have been displaced. But they’re staying with neighbors and friends. Some of our employees have taken friends into their homes,” she said.

This isn’t the first time CU Hawaii’s Pahoa branch has come face-to-face with Kilauea’s temperament.

“We had one back in 2014 that got close to our branch then. We had to close our branch that time… and that was interesting,” Marzo said. “But we have not had to close that branch; it’s business as usual right now. We’re taking care of our members.”

For now, everyone is still very positive, she added.

“We have to. That’s the way we do it here in Hawaii. We try to calm the nerves and just get the spirit of aloha. It’s just the way we do it,” Marzo said.

CU Hawaii said it is donating to the Hawaii Community Foundation, which has established a volcano recovery fund to help those who have been displaced and help relief organizations. The credit union is also encouraging others to donate.