DALLAS -- Severe flooding in Houston caused by the lingering effects of Tropical Storm Allison knocked out power to the Pulse EFT Association's master switch that processes millions of ATM transactions in 22 states in the Southwest, Midwest and Southeast on June 9, according to a Dallas Morning News report.
Although power was eventually restored, the 175,000 ATMs and 300,000 point-of-sale terminals on the Pulse network only began gradually coming online on June 10, according to Pulse spokesman Julian Read.
Pulse expected to have its network operating near normal conditions by the early morning hours of June 11, Read said.
The emergency, the worst in Pulse's 20-year history, forced the network to make use of a processing center in Dallas. However, that center could not bring the whole system back online quickly.
For many consumers, this was the first time they have ever experienced a widespread ATM shutdown. Until this past weekend, Pulse had almost a 100 percent dependability record, Read said.
"ATM cards have become so prevalent that we take it for granted. This reminds people of how much they rely on them," Read said.
