More than two feet of rain over the last 24 hours pounded the small Texas cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur forcing the closure Wednesday of 13 credit unions that collectively serve nearly 130,000 members and their families.
While Tropical Storm Harvey veered into the Gulf of Mexico for several hours on Tuesday finally giving a small measure of relief flood-ravaged Houston, Harvey swept back into southeast Texas dumping more than 26 inches of rain on Beaumont and Port Arthur overnight. While the rain continued to fall in those cities on Wednesday, the storm is trudging to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Although branches are closed in Beaumont and Port Arthur, some credit unions indicated on their websites and Facebook postings that their online and mobile banking channels were operating, and they reminded members they can still access credit union network ATMs and shared-branching locations in other areas.
The $704 million Mobil Oil Federal Credit Union in Beaumont announced that it is waiving the $1.50 fee when members access out-of-network ATMs.
The $18.5 million Port Arthur Community Federal Credit Union set up an emergency phone number for members to call.
“Our thoughts are with those that have been affected by this natural disaster,” the $367 million Education First Federal Credit Union in Beaumont, posted on its Facebook site. “And we will be open as soon as possible to serve our members.”
Currently, it is unknown to what extent branches in Beaumont and Port Arthur suffered any damages.
Although the rain has stopped in Houston, it is expected to take some time for the massive floodwaters to recede. That means some credit unions will have to remain closed because they cannot access their branches or they may not have enough staff members, who are recovering from the devastation, to operate their branches. Houston credit unions reported some of their employees had to evacuate their homes or their homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm.
According to the Cornerstone Credit Union League, the following credit unions will remain closed until further notice: American Baptist Association CU, Bayer Heritage FCU, Brazosport Teachers FCU, Coastal Teachers FCU, FivePoint FCU, Houston Belt & Terminal FCU, Houston Musicians FCU, IBEW LU 66 FCU, Light Commerce CU and Pasadena Postal CU. Texas Lee CU is open by appointment only.
Mt. Carmel Church FCU and NOV CU will remain closed until Thursday, while First Eagle FCU and the Houston branches of Truity FCU will be closed through Sept. 1. Brazos Community CU is expected to remain closed until Sept. 5, the Cornerstone league reported.
Golden Triangle FCU, Houston Texas Fire Fighters FCU, Members Trust of the Southwest FCU’s Houston branches and SAFE CU remained closed on Wednesday.
However, the Cornerstone league also listed about 15 credit unions that reopened on Wednesday although some had limited service hours.
