Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union

Our field of membership stretches from Brunswick County, North Carolina through almost five
South Carolina counties. During and after Hurricane Florence, many of our members were severely
impacted by the record level flooding of the Waccamaw, Little Pee Dee and Big Pee Dee rivers.
Unfortunately, our Conway branch experienced the far-reaching effects firsthand.

Natural disasters can disrupt so many necessities within a community such as electricity, food
delivery, fuel availability, and transportation infrastructure. Some people were displaced from their
homes, others couldn’t get to work, employers were not open for business, and childcare became
an issue with the extensive closure of schools and daycares. It’s a very trying time for evacuees
who want to return to their homes as well as the utility crews, first responders and government
officials who work around the clock to help restore services to the community and keep residents
and businesses safe. However, our members in these areas are resilient, and have been through
many hurricanes together. It’s in periods of disaster recovery where credit union philosophies are
put into practice to help struggling communities.

Our target audience was Conway residents and business owners, many of whom are our members.
The Credit Union wanted to help ease the burden for those who were already going through so
much as a result of Hurricane Florence’s mass flooding, so we provided a temporary branch
location to prevent our members from experiencing further disruption in banking services during
the recovery period.