On Monday, Hayes and his team were taking inventory of promotional items ahead of the hurricane when he realized they had close to 2,000 emergency lanterns that had been purchased for an event later in the month.

Within hours, they coordinated with other executives, designed and printed signs for all 17 branches, and arranged for morning delivery to all their locations to sell the lanterns for $10 each to members to raise money for hurricane relief.

SAFE thought they might be able to raise some funds for the Carolinas Credit Union League Foundation that helps credit union employees after a natural disaster. Hurricane Florence is expected to generate heavy rains, extensive flooding and damaging high winds that can threaten lives and cause massive property destruction.

"By Tuesday morning the social media posts and e-mail to members had people lined up at the doors," Hayes said. "On the first day alone we sold more than 1,000 lanterns. We woke up Wednesday and realized the storm was headed right for us. That made us realize that everything we're doing to help was becoming very real. By the end of Wednesday we had raised more than $18,000 to help with hurricane relief, which could help our very own employees who were helping make all this happen."

Regardless of what Florence brings to the Carolinas, SAFE Federal Credit Union will be donating all funds raised to the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, which provides grants to employees and volunteers of credit unions in North and South Carolina who are either displaced or encounter a hardship as the result of a natural disaster.

"We help employees get back on their feet so they can help their credit union members who are experiencing the same kind of hardships following a disaster such as Florence," Lauren Whaley, president of the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, said. "The amazing support of SAFE and their members will go a long way to help everyone recover in the aftermath of this historic storm."

The National Credit Union Foundation said Thursday it has opened CUAid to collect contributions that will be used for any credit union employees and volunteers affected the hurricane. Credit union supporters in every state can make donations at cuaid.coop.

"Ahead of a dangerous hurricane that is likely to generate unprecedented storm surges along the coasts of North and South Carolina, Virginia, and potentially Georgia before moving inland and causing further disruption, the time to contribute to CUAid is now," Gigi Hyland, the foundation's executive director. "We know this storm will continue to disrupt credit union operations across the south and we are prepared to respond."