WOCCU Visits Credit Unions in Bahamas to Survey Hurricane Damage

Two U.S. representatives of the World Council of Credit Unions visited Grand Bahama Sept. 12 to assess the damage to credit unions wrought by Hurricane Dorian just 10 days earlier.

Bruce Foulke, president/CEO of American Heritage Federal Credit Union of Philadelphia ($2.6 billion, 190,819 members) and COO Scott McCaw visited several credit unions in Freeport with Hilton Bowleg, chair of the Bahamas Cooperative League Limited.

Freeport is about 70 miles east of Palm Beach, Fla., and is on Grand Bahama, one of the northernmost of the chain of islands that make up the Bahamas, spreading 500 miles to the southeast. Hurricane Dorian was at Category 5 strength when it made landfall Sept. 1 on the chain’s Abaco Islands and crept west to strike Grand Bahama a few hours later. It sat there for about two days ripping buildings and causing massive flooding, before weakening and drifting northward along the U.S. coast.

As of Sept. 15, Bahamian officials said storm had killed 50 and 1,300 were missing.

“The damage is extensive to say the least,” McCaw said. “These institutions need generators, both large ones for their building, and smaller ones to power their various equipment and systems. In addition, a supply of fresh water is needed for both staff and members.”

Foulke and McCaw encouraged donations, which can be made through WOCCU’s Project Storm Break website at DoGlobalGood.org. The donations help support the immediate needs of credit union members and staff, and will address long-term rebuilding needs.

Foulke and McCaw’s visits included:

• The main branch of The Grand Bahama Co-operative Credit Union in Freeport, which used a portable generator to reopen after 7 inches of flooding. Foulke said several members told him the reopening allowed them to get cash to purchase supplies. But he said many in Freeport still do not have power, which means credit union members cannot buy a large quantity of food due to lack of refrigeration. Another Grand Bahama Co-operative Credit Union branch located in a shopping center has yet to reopen due to damage.
• Teachers and Salaried Workers Co-operative Credit Union in Freeport, which reopened with staff using paper vouchers and cell phones to communicate with the main office in Nassau to verify balances. A security guard was allowing one member at a time in to conduct transactions.
• Public Workers Co-operative Credit Union, where staff were busy trying to clean up the office. There were visible water lines that reached four feet high—up to the top of their teller counter. Behind the teller counter, the water marks were five-feet high. Despite their generator being elevated three feet off the ground outside, salt water that rose nearly eight-feet high rendered it inoperable. Inside the building, structural damage to the concrete floor was visible as it partially collapsed from nearly five inches in some spots.
• A Bahamas Law Enforcement Credit Union branch that remained closed after 2 feet of flooding. They also visited the credit union’s chair, who was cleaning his store damaged by 8 feet of floodwaters. The chair said business closings will result in job losses on the islands.

Despite the storm’s toll, Foulke said he was impressed by the bond between employees and members of the credit unions.

“They are mutually concerned about each other’s well-being,” Foulke said. “The credit unions have made it about providing service even though they don’t have electricity, computers or lights. They are even sharing medicine, food, water and shelter at this point.

“This was the finest moment of people helping people—the credit union philosophy.”

The World Council of Credit Unions is a global trade association and development platform for credit unions based in Madison, Wis. It has implemented more than 300 technical assistance programs in 89 countries.