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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Sept. 5, 2017) – Credit unions in the path of Hurricane Irma are being advised to take precautions as the storm bears down on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. mainland, the National Credit Union Administration said today.

Hurricane Irma is currently a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. It is expected to strike the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Wednesday. The storm could reach the U.S. mainland, most likely south Florida, as early as Saturday.

The NCUA is tracking Hurricane Irma closely, and the agency will monitor the conditions of credit unions in the storm’s path. The agency will be ready to assist credit unions with maintaining or restoring operations, if necessary. The agency maintains a hurricane and disaster information page on its website with more material on preparedness and staying safe.

Credit union members with questions may contact the NCUA’s Consumer Assistance Center at 800.755.1030 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern. The NCUA’s Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives can provide urgent needs grants (opens new window) of up to $7,500 to low-income credit unions that experience sudden costs to restore operations interrupted by the storm.

The National Hurricane Center has an information page on Hurricane Irma (opens new window), and the Federal Department of Homeland Security has an information page on being prepared for hurricanes (opens new window).

Credit union member deposits remain protected by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund. Administered by the NCUA, the Share Insurance Fund insures individual accounts up to $250,000, and a member’s interest in all joint accounts combined is insured up to $250,000. The Share Insurance Fund separately protects IRA and KEOGH retirement accounts up to $250,000. The Share Insurance Fund has the backing of the full faith and credit of the United States. Members with questions about their insurance coverage can find information online at the Share Insurance Coverage (opens new window) page of the NCUA’s MyCreditUnion.gov (opens new window) website.