United Community Bank continues doing business after water damage
It’s not a construction trailer. It’s a bank on wheels.
That’s a brief description of a mobile banking unit that Ellijay United Community Bank (UCB) has been using to serve customers after the bank received extensive water damage during the Christmas weekend deep freeze.
Burst sprinkler system lines left the interior teller, drive-thru and other areas of the Industrial Boulevard bank in ruin over the holiday.
“It’s a little different, but it’s going well. We have some staff outside (in the mobile unit) and some staff inside. We’re banking in a couple of places, but we’re still banking,” said Amber Davenport, Ellijay UCB vice president.
The mobile banking unit has been in service a little over a week, during which there’s been some confusion about whether it’s a maintenance trailer related to the ongoing cleanup effort (a nearby construction dumpster has since been removed) or a place where customers can do their transactions.
“It was set up for our needs to be able to serve our customers and get back to where we could do that as quickly as possible. That’s been our number one priority through this whole situation,” said Davenport.
“Our customers have had questions and we’ve tried to answer them. The biggest question has been ‘Where do I go?’ We’re trying to put out more signage to point them in the right direction, and I think they are are becoming more familiar with everything each day.”
Mobile recovery units like the one being used by Ellijay UCB are typically utilized after natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and fires to allow an affected business to continue operating. It’s not known for how long this one, which comes from Agility Recovery Solutions, a national company with an Atlanta office, will remain on hand.
“When we started looking at options that would help us serve customers as quickly as possible, we saw that this one was actually built to be used as a bank,” said Davenport. “It has a lobby area, the conveniences we need and a drive-thru. The drive-thru has a screen where the customers can see the teller, and the teller can see the customers.”
Inside the bank, where the repair effort continues, a community room is being used as a temporary teller area. The community room, which has tile flooring, didn’t receive as much water damage as some other parts of the bank, according to Joy Marshall, UCB spokesperson.
“The water which, in some places, was ankle deep, destroyed the drive-thru area, which will have to be completely renovated. The inside teller area will also have to be redone, as furniture buckled and water damaged flooring and wiring. Throughout the rest of the bank, the flooring and much of the furniture will have to be removed and replaced,” added Marshall.
The mobile bank is not handicap accessible, but the community room is, noted Davenport. Customers unable to climb the mobile unit’s steps can get full service at the community room teller area.
“We have designated handicap parking at the community room, as well,” she added. “Right now, our lobby is still closed, but we have three tellers in the mobile unit, and we have four in the community room.”
Davenport said the demo and cleanup of the damaged drive-thru area is done, and contractors are making good progress working on the other flooded areas.
“I can’t say enough about the support we’ve received from the community, and our team that has jumped in to do whatever they need to do to take take care of our customers. All our customers and the community as a whole have been so wonderful and supportive,” said Davenport.