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ARCHIVE: ATM news tied to Gulf disaster

ATMmarketplace launched a message board Sept. 6 for daily updates about ATM businesses affected by Katrina. Daily news posts included on the message board ran from Sept. 6 until Sept. 16.

September 19, 2005

ATMmarketplace launched a message board to provide readers with up-to-date industry information and news related to Hurricane Katrina.

News about the hurricane's impact on the ATM industry was collected and linked for quick perusal every business day.

****************************** Sept. 16 2005:Triton Team Moving Forward with Much Success: Susan Cooper, manufacturing manager at Triton Systems in Long Beach, Miss., said in a news release that she was proud to work for a company like Triton before Hurricane Katrina, but even more so in the wake of the destructive storm. 

"The support has been overwhelming," said Cooper, an employee of 6 years, who had some damage to her home, but considers herself extremely fortunate. She returned to work soon after the storm to assist in the coordination of employee relief efforts and found herself not just among co-workers, but a family of support.

"Most of the employees she has been in contact with are more concerned with helping each others than themselves and with the ultimate goal of returning to their livelihood, their job," Cooper said. "So many of our employees lost everything, and they have come back here with a smile, ready to move forward."

Triton President Brian, Cooper and other Triton employees worked with a group that organized housing and supply efforts from the donations Triton has received. Cooper said many employees with losses would not accept all of the donations because they knew of so many others that were in a worse situation than their own. Triton was even able to turn around and donate some of their relief supplies to local shelters in need.

The complete update is available on Triton's Web site.

September 15, 2005: Credit Union 24 donates $25,000 to hurricane relief: The Credit Union 24 Network board of directors voted unanimously to donate $25,000 in support of the National Credit Union Foundation's Hurricane Relief for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama credit unions and their employees, according to a news release.   Bob Fisher, Credit Union 24's board chairman, said, "This is the time for all of us to pull together. We've seen unbelievable devastation, but we've also seen what can be accomplished when the credit union community works together and mobilizes to help those in need."   Aside from the $25,000 contribution, Credit Union 24 has taken other steps to help provide what relief they can to credit unions affected by Katrina. Last week the network helped Southeast Corporate, a corporate credit union also located in Tallahassee, deliver a truckload of supplies including gasoline, generators, air conditioners and paper goods to credit unions on the gulf coast. In addition to gathering information on resources like mobile branches and ATMs for deployment, Credit Union 24 is providing Blackberry devices to some credit union personnel in the area. The devices, hosted by Credit Union 24, will allow for email functionality in areas where Internet service providers remain unavailable.

Sept. 14, 2005:Innovus Inc. is still up and running, J. Michael Brown, president:Innovus Inc., one of the country's largest ATM and EFT suppliers, has called New Orleans home since we opened our doors ten years ago.  Because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Innovus has temporarily moved its headquarters to Dallas. As our loyal customers already know, we were able to activate our disaster recovery site in Dallas prior to the landfall of Hurricane Katrina, so our ATMs didn't miss a beat. 

Our e-mail and Web site service has been temporarily disrupted, but our servers were physically removed from our offices early this week and we anticipate having full Internet service restored in Dallas by the end of this week.   Most of our staff have been relocated to our backup site in Dallas and are working from there and our sales professionals continue to work from remote offices.  So, it's business (almost) as usual for Innovus Inc.   Hurricane Katrina was truly a disaster of epic proportions, but the Innovus staff embody the true spirit of New Orleans as shown in their flexibility, persistence and continued dedication to excellence. We look forward to the future and anticipate some exciting announcements in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!   Innovus would like to thank their thousands of customers and many fine business partners for their patience, kindness and good wishes through this trying time.  Our success depends on the relationships we've worked to strengthen over the years and we're happy to say we've got some great friends out there.

Contact info: Innovus, Inc., 5220 Spring Valley Road, Suite 605, Dallas, TX 75254. Phone number is (800) 753-2274.

Sept. 12, 2005: Tritonnow open for business, Brian Kett, president: At 8 a.m. Sept. 12, the doors at both of our Long Beach, Miss., facilities were open. By early morning, more than 255 employees had walked through the doors. Our goal was 200, but it did not surprise me that we exceeded that goal, in that those of you who have worked with us know that we pride ourselves on exceeding expectations.

This was no normal work day, but it was probably one of our best days. With 80 percent of our employee-base together for the first time since Katrina forced us apart, there was a sense of great joy and optimism, to balance the significant sense of loss that we have all experienced in the last seven days. As noted, there are many challenges that will be faced, but with phone lines up and e-mail available, our staff is focused on returning all of the services to our customers and getting back to normal as soon as possible.

Fed Ex trucks were picking up the first allotment of parts to be sent out to customers today, and by 1 p.m., the first Triton 9100s were starting to roll off the production line. By the end of the day, 25 ATMs had been shipped.

Our main switchboard has been unable to handle the volume of calls. Customers, partners and contacts are encouraged to use the direct dial-in [main: (228) 575-3100] telephone numbers as much as possible, as well as e-mail. We expect communications to be back to normal by mid-week.

All makes and models of Triton ATM's will soon be in production, but 9100s and RL5000s are our priorities. Our logistics staff and partners are working together to determine the best and fastest routing of delivery trucks. Our operations staff also will be running some limited overtime to assist us in meeting customer needs.

Photographs of the plant have been posted on Triton's Web site.

Thanks very much for your contributions and donations. Several truckloads of supplies have been received and are being distributed to staff and other relief groups. At this time, we would really appreciate continued contributions to the "Triton Employee Katrina Relief Fund."

Please see Triton's Web site for additional information.

Sept. 12, 2005:From Cajun to cowboy: Columbus Data Services shifted its operations from Katrina-devastated New Orleans to its backup site in Dallas. "We are thankful we that none of our people were injured and that everyone is safe," said Ron Schuldt, president of CDS. "Since we expect to be here for the next six to nine months, we had to find 25 apartments and get our people settled in, get our kids back in school, and get on with our lives."

CDS began bringing staff to Dallas on the Saturday before the hurricane hit. The cut over of transaction traffic to Dallas from New Orleans went smoothly and was made late at night, when transaction traffic is at it lowest. "We did have to switch settlement banks in the middle of everything as our settlement bank in New Orleans experienced problems with their ACH system at their backup site. But with the help of Star, Pulse and MetaBank, we got it done in record time," Schuldt added. "We have acquired additional office space in our building for operations, a new phone system is being installed, and we are getting back to normal".

The CDS office in Dallas is located at 5220 Spring Valley Road, Ste. 605, Dallas, TX 75254. Phone number is (214) 242-0650. The fax number is (214) 242-0664.

"Our people have had to adjust their eating habits to Dallas," Schuldt said. "No more po-boys and gumbo for lunch. Now it's Tex-Mex or barbeque."

"Many thanks to everyone in the ATM industry who has pitched in to help us. Dennis Abraham of Trusted Security flew in to help. Mosaic Software and Threshold Financial Technologies sent in technical staff to give our IT staff a chance to get some sleep. Stratus shipped us an additional server overnight. All the networks and TNS helped us during the transition. Tranaxsent over a box of clothes for our people. One of our ISOs, Dr. ATM, brought lunch by one day. All in all, we have received tremendous support from our clients, our vendors and many people in the industry."

Sept. 12, 2005:Update from ATMIA: ATMIA Insurance representative Doris Allen, who is based in Louisiana, and her family were evacuated to Houston and are working out of Cardtronics' office.

ATMIAand ATMmarketplace are seeking donations from the ATM industry to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina. All donations will be deposited into ATMIA's Education and Development Fund, a nonprofit charity. Donations to the fund will be handed over to the American Red Cross and an ATM business hardest hit by the flooding and hurricane damage.

ATMIA, in conjunction with Credit Union 24 ATM & POS Network, are developing a program to encourage ISOs to temporarily waive all surcharge fees for ATM activity at terminals serving the hurricane-affected areas, and also in areas where large shelters have been established.

Co-Op Network is contributing $50,000 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

Moneytree Inc. spent a lot of time and money configuring machines to operate without phone and power.

Sept. 12, 2005:Chicago-based Harris Bankcorp Inc. is waiving surcharge fees at its more than 500 Harris-branded ATM machines for Hurricane survivors who were issued debit cards by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The fee has been waived at Harris-owned ATM machines throughout Harris branch locations in Chicago, Florida and Arizona, and in domestic terminals at O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway Airport. The waiver also is expected to go into effect Sept. 12 at more than 160 Harris- branded ATMs at Speedway service stations in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana. Efmark provides Harris ATM services at Speedway locations.

Sept. 12, 2005:U.S. Treasury urges waiver of ATM surcharges for Katrina evacuees.

Sept. 12, 2005:Update from Chantilly, Va.-based Universal Debit & Credit Corp.'s Lon Gaddy: We made a delivery to Long Beach, Miss. We thank all of you once again for all of your contributions. Without you, we couldn't have made this possible. If you wish to help, we need monetary donations to keep the tractor trailers loaded and rolling. Checks may be made payable to the Natural Disaster Relief Foundation c/o Universal Debit & Credit, 3901 Centerview Dr., Ste. W, Chantilly, VA 20151.

Sept. 12, 2005: Cardtronics is installing ATMs on the Houston Astrodome campus to provide surcharge-free access to cash for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Along with a major financial institution and Ventus Networks, Cardtronics is ensuring that evacuees will be able to conveniently obtain their funds. Ventus Networks, a full service-global telecommunications company, will provide the wireless communications and equipment for the ATMs free of charge.

In addition to the rapid deployment of ATMs at the Astrodome, Cardtronics is working with banks and retail merchants across the affected area to get ATMs back online. Cardtronics is providing access to emergency funds throughout the impacted areas of the Gulf Coast region. Plans for additional ATM access at other evacuation centers have yet to be finalized.

Sept. 12, 2005:For regular updates and additional information about Diebold service and recovery efforts, visit the company's Web site. Calls will be coordinated with the Diebold Operations Center to manage dispatching of service professionals as well as service escalations. Diebold estimates that more than 1,000 Diebold customer sites may have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Among them are 180 Diebold associates and 175 customers who rely on Diebold for service.

The following numbers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for customer inquiries and requests:

• Diebold Customer Response Center: (330) 498-2650 or 800-DIEBOLD (800-343-2653)
• Diebold Alarm Monitoring Center: (330) 498-2306 or (800) 548-4478

Diebold is working with its associates and customers to address their most critical needs, which may include temporary housing for associates and relocation services and temporary office space for customers. Diebold has activated its Critical Response Plan, which is now effective in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. As we assess the hurricane's impact and make contact with our customers, additional states may be added to the list.

Critical Response Plan

Diebold Operations Center: Located in Dallas, the Diebold Operations Center has been mobilized. The center will coordinate Diebold's service call management, resource planning, project management and Customer Service Engineer (CSE) support.

Service Call Escalation: Diebold's service teams will prioritize service requests on a case-by-case basis. In general, service teams will respond first to the following requests:

• Sites that have power but have no security protection
• Sites that have been flooded and need immediate attention to prevent further deterioration of equipment, particularly vaults, safes and safe deposit boxes
• ATMs with power and communication that still display a service fault
• Driveup lanes that have transactions of value that are stuck in pneumatic tube systems (i.e. customer deposits)
• Any operating banking location where 100 percent of the drive-up lanes are inoperable

Service Parts: An additional stock of parts for ATMs, driveup lanes and electronic security equipment is housed in Jackson, Mississippi and is available for immediate use. Diebold's Global Service Logistics Center in Green, Ohio, stocks tens of thousands of part numbers and is on high alert to anticipate and respond to additional needs in the field.

Customer Assistance: When possible, customers are encouraged to verify power and communication to ATMs prior to placing service calls. Customers also are strongly encouraged, when possible, to turn off power at their sites to avoid further damage to equipment that can be caused by surges when power is restored.

Preparing our team: Diebold service teams across the United States have identified human resources that can be allocated to the Katrina recovery efforts. Those resources have been placed on standby and are prepared to provide assistance in the impacted areas. Diebold is preparing specialized kits for service professionals who will respond to needs in high-risk areas.

Service coverage: Regardless of service contracts or coverage, Diebold service professionals stand ready to assist customers - financial, retail, commercial and government - in their recovery from this catastrophic event.

Future plans: As Diebold continues to make contact with its customers in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, we will determine the need for increased manufacturing capacity and special offers such as equipment leasing programs, deferred payment programs and more.

Sept. 12, 2005:George Peterson, president of New Orleans-based ATMs of the South:ATMs of the South is based out of New Orleans, and we have sustained severe losses. About 40 percent of our placements and merchant-owned units are outside of the disaster area. We have set up a makeshift base at an RV park outside of Baton Rouge, La., and have gathered our staff back from states where they evacuated in order to continue running service to our existing customers.

We are running incursions "in-country" to Jefferson Parish, and eventually (are expected to run) to Orleans Parish and other affected areas in southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. On an initial assessment into Jefferson Parish we found many locations burned down, looted and vandalized. Some equipment, cash and locations may never be recovered. I am afraid that in New Orleans and other flooded areas, the losses may be greater. We may never get to actually get to the machines or any cash that may be left. Flood waters sitting there for weeks and maybe months will have so many toxins that I don't know who will even want to touch the cash if we do retrieve it.

We have lost probably 60 percent of our equipment and vault cash as well as revenue. As we move into our own recovery phase we know that the local authorities have their hands full with search and rescue, as well as the recovery of the bodies of those who perished. We will have to sit and wait until our recovery moves up on their priority list.

The good news is that I am starting to see transactions from within New Orleans, and as rebuilding starts we will be ready to get those areas back up and running. As a native of New Orleans, I am confident that we will come back stronger and better than before. The city, as well as the Gulf Coast as a whole, will come back with an economic boost just from the rebuilding efforts alone.

We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. To our neighboring states who took us in and helped feed and shelter all the displaced, we will never be able to fully express our gratitude. The generosity is overwhelming.

Sept. 9, 2005: Story from USA Today: The skeleton of normality is slowly returning to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was smashed by Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29. Vast stretches of the area lie in ruins. Tens of thousands remain homeless, many living in tent cities. The drinking water is unsafe. The grim search for bodies goes on. In a few patches, however, civil society is being restored thanks to electricity, running water, cellular phones and the extraordinary efforts of business owners and workers. About one in 10 businesses in Biloxi and Gulfport, the area's most populous cities, have reopened. Fewer businesses have come back in hard-hit small towns such as Long Beach, Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis.

Sept. 9, 2005:Update from ATMIA about Mickey Brown: Mickey today is safe at Innovus Inc./Momentum Cash Systems LLC's backup site in Dallas, Texas, along with the Columbus Data. (The two companies are now basing their operations from 5220 Spring Valley Road, Ste. 605, Dallas, TX 75254. The office phone number is 214-242-0650.)

Mickey actually had to hitch hike 225 miles to his parents. Mickey's family is safe, but has lost everything: house, cars, etc. Mickey wanted to pass along his gratitude for your thoughts and prayers during this devastating time.

Sept. 8, 2005:Brian Kett, president of Long Beach, Miss.-based Triton Systems, said he expects regular operations to resume at one of the nation's largest ATM manufacturing facilities by Friday or Monday. Kett also expects to release pictures of the company's 90,000-square-foot ATM manufacturing facility sometime next week. Read an update from Kett, posted on Triton's Web site. (Read also, Triton expected to resume manufacturing at Long Beach plant.)

Sept. 8, 2005:Cardtronicshas been involved in donation drives to help local shelters that are housing victims of Hurricane Katrina. The company also is working with a local television station, which has launched an adopt-a-family-business campaign to help small businesses affected by Katrina. Cardtronics also has waived fees at an ATM set up outside an Alabama shelter.

Sept. 8, 2005:Innovus Inc./Momentumn Cash Systems LLC is expected to launch an employee relief fund in response to inquiries from Innovus vendors and customers. "We are currently helping our employees with housing," said Gary Walston, Innovus' senior vice president.

Sept. 8, 2005:Phoenix Interactive Design Inc. has made a donation to the American Red Cross to provide support for victims of Hurricane Katrina. "Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt support go out to those affected by Hurricane Katrina," said Kyle MacDonald, founder and chief executive of Phoenix Interactive Design Inc. "We realize the value and impact of all the collaborative efforts and the generous support thus far to aid victims of the disaster in the Gulf states, and our support of Red Cross initiatives furthers our commitment to delivering humanitarian assistance in a time of need."

Sept. 7, 2005: Update from Chantilly, Va.-based Universal Debit & Credit Corp.'s Lon Gaddy: We wanted to update you on our Hurricane Relief efforts. The response has been overwhelming and humbling to say the least. On Tuesday, many people and groups brought enough food, water, clothes and personal hygiene items to fill half a tractor trailer! Thanks to the staff of UDC and friends that worked diligently all day long to sort, box label and load these items on the trailer. We even made the news on TV and on the radio!

On Wednesday, we UDC sales agent Tom Hatch provided us with a breakfast send-off at 4 a.m. while we were waiting for the water to load at Costco in Chantilly. There are three trucks in today's convoy that will all meet and spend tonight in Atlanta.

Truck No. 1 picked up 23,040 gourmet MRE's in Mullins, S.C. (Each MRE can feed two people.) Truck No. 2 left UDC at 4 a.m. with the 1/2 load of donations left at the office yesterday as well as a half load of water from the Chantilly Costco. Truck No. 3 left UDC at to pick up a 53-foot trailer of water from Payne's Trucking and Storage in Fredericksburg.

Tomorrow all three trucks will arrive at Triton's loading dock in Long Beach, Miss., at 8 a.m. to be there when the doors open at 9. Also tomorrow we have a trailer load of items coming to UDC Chantilly from Neighbors International Foundation in Great Falls. We will be receiving donations throughout the week from Edwin Elmore's group in Herndon. Edwin will be bringing trailer loads of items toward the end of day throughout the week as the trailer gets filled.

The next truck load of items is scheduled to be loaded on Saturday. We need volunteers to help load the truck at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the UDC Chantilly office, 3901 Centerview Dr., Ste W. All items to be loaded on this truck must be at the UDC office by 2 p.m. Friday. We will continue to collect donations from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday of next week, and then we will probably need to have another truck go out some time later next week.

If you would like to continue to help or have friends or a group that wants to help us, we are in need of ready-to-eat food, personal hygiene products (soaps, razors, etc.), water and other beverages. Clothes are also welcomed as long as they are clean, in decent shape and have been sorted in bags or boxes according to style, size and type (women's tops, etc.) with information marked clearly on the outside of the bag or box.

Our efforts will not stop after the last load of items we've collected goes South. We are in the process of establishing a nonprofit organization to help these people find homes and rebuild their lives and keep this program going! More information will be available in the next few days, but we are currently accepting monetary donations for this fund. Checks should be made payable to The Natural Disaster Relief Foundation. For additional information, please call Laurie Iannamico at (703) 467-2870.

Visit our Web site for up-to-date information. Our most sincere thanks and eternal gratitude to everyone that has helped.

Sept. 7, 2005: According to an Associated Press report, the federal government plans to begin doling out debit/ATM cards worth $2,000 each to adult victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff descibed the plan in a conference call with state officials Sept. 7. The unprecedented cash card program initially will benefit stranded people who have been moved to major rescue centers such as the Houston Astrodome.

The cards could be used to buy food, transportation, gas and other essentials, according to a state official who was on the call and requested anonymity because the program has not been publicly announced.

Sept. 7, 2005: Treasury Secretary John Snow met with bank regulators Sept. 6 to review the banking industry's response to the disaster recovery effort.

"Many financial institutions are implementing contingency plans involving a variety of actions that will help the people of the Gulf Coast," he said. "From waiving ATM fees and easing restrictions on cashing out-of-state and non-customer checks and waiving overdraft fees as a result of paycheck interruption, banks and credit unions are doing what they can to ensure that victims have the cash resources they need to survive this difficult time, financially."

Sept. 6, 2005: In a statement posted Sept. 4, Brian Kett, president of Triton Systems, said about 75 employees had held several organizational meetings at the company's Long Beach, Miss., headquarters in the past few days. Kett added that about 50 percent of the company's 400 Mississippi-based employees had been in contact with Triton.

Kett expects generators to be in place this week and said "Triton will resume many activities this week." The company also is expected to begin shipping parts and newly manufactured ATMs to its customers, he added.

Although Kett said both Long Beach facilities are in relatively good shape, the homes of many employees did not fare well. Triton has established a charitable trust, "Triton Employee Katrina Relief Fund," and contributions can be sent in care of Dover Electronics, 267 Lowell Road, Ste. 100, Hudson, NH, USA 03051. For more information about the fund, call (603) 578-4011 during normal business hours.

"We do not have all the information as yet, but it would appear that as many as 50 percent of our Triton family have lost their homes and all their possessions," Kett said.

Sept. 6, 2005: North Canton, Ohio-based Diebold Inc. has been working for the last several days to reach its customers in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. However, communication has been difficult. Carrie Kandes, manager of media relations for Diebold, said the company is asking its customers to visit Diebold's Web site for updates and information on a daily basis. "When the reconstruction effort begins, we will be ready," Kandes said.

For information about Diebold service:

• Diebold Customer Response Center: (330) 498-2650 OR 800-DIEBOLD (800-343-2653)
• Diebold Alarm Monitoring Center:(330) 498-2306 OR (800) 548-4478

Sept. 6, 2005: A message from First Data Corp., which operates the STAR Network: Our thoughts are with all of the individuals that have been directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. At this point, we are providing immediate assistance to the relief efforts through a $2 for $1 employee-matching program through our foundation.

In addition, our Western Union business is reducing current service fees on its Money In Minutes transactions sent from within the U.S. or from U.S. military bases abroad to Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. It's worth noting that this reduction eliminates the profit from every transaction and in some cases, the remittance service is being extended at a loss.

Western Union has also established a special, no transfer-fee service for U.S. consumers who wish to help by sending donations directly to the American Red Cross. Consumers can visit any participating Western Union Agent location in the U.S., or U.S. military base abroad, and fill out a blue Quick Collect form for the amount of their donation. Consumers should enter REDCROSSUSA in the "Pay To" and "Code City" fields and DC in the "State" field.

We are also taking a number of steps to support the needs of our clients and customers. This is clearly a dynamic situation and we continue to assess the full impact of the disaster and find ways we can help, individually and as a company.

Sept. 6, 2005: Ontario, Calif.-based Co-Op Network is contributing $50,000 to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. "People across the world have been shocked by the horrific images of destruction and human suffering along the Gulf Coast and are seeking ways to assist," said Co-Op Network chief executive Stan Hollen. "There are thousands, probably millions of people in the devastated areas who desperately need our support today, and I'm proud to see credit union organizations across our country stepping forward to assist.

The National Credit Union Foundation will be providing daily updates at on its Web site and has a disaster relief page in its Raising Funds section.

Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union, based in Plano, Texas, and Co-Op Network have joined to assist their member credit unions in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi affected by the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, all EFT processing fees for 90 days will be waived for 11 member credit unions impacted by the disaster.

"We're doing everything we can, as quickly as possible, to help our credit union friends in areas damaged by this disaster," said Francis Lee, president and CEO of Southwest Corporate. "When Southwest Corporate signed an ATM agreement with Co-Op Network more than two years ago, I stated that both organizations had similar philosophies about meeting the needs of credit unions. The rescinding of processing fees is one of many ways we both will meet member needs along the Gulf Coast in a fast, efficient manner."

Southwest Corporate has 191 credit unions in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Contacting credit union management in the impacted areas has been difficult because of the havoc produced by the natural disaster. Hollen and Lee want to assure their Gulf Coast credit unions that Co-Op Network and Southwest Corporate will continue to process transactions for members and hope word of this small step reaches them.

"The only good news is seeing credit unions and credit union organizations from coast to coast pull together to assist their brethren," Hollen said.

Sept. 6, 2005:Chantilly, Va.-based Universal Debit & Credit Corp. is driving two tractor trailers Sept. 7 filled with 4,620 one-gallon jugs of water and 23,040 MREs to Long Beach, Miss., to help hurricane victims. The company is asking for donations. Everything from baby food, diapers and personal hygiene items to clothing, ice, tents, bedding, generators, diesel fuel and gasoline may be donated.

Anyone interested in helping may contact Universal Debit & Credit Corp. by e-mailing Lon Gaddy.

Sept. 6, 2005: A message from ATM Industry Association president Tom Harper: The ATM Industry Associationand ATMmarketplace are seeking donations from the ATM industry to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States in decades.

The devastation caused by this violent storm to both human life and infrastructures is on a catastrophic scale. Our prayers and thoughts go out to affected communities and businesses. We are appealing for support from our members and the broader industry to assist in the rebuilding process.

All donations will be deposited into ATMIA's Education and Development Fund, a nonprofit charity. Donations to the fund will be handed over to the American Red Cross and an ATM business hardest hit by the flooding and hurricane damage. ATMIA will report the amount of money donated for the effort, as well as provide an update about the money's distribution to the Red Cross and a worthy recipient, which will be determined by the ATMIA executive board.

A moment of silence will be held in honor of the victims of the tragedy at the start of ATMIA's North American ATM Debit Summit Sept. 14-16 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Please make donations payable to the ATMIA Education and Development Fund, P.O. Box 176, Harrisburg, SD, 57032, USA. Pledges also may be made to ATMIA finance director Sharon Lane, who can provide additional information, via e-mail, phone, (605) 767-5888, or fax, (605) 743-5877.

ATMIA also offers the option of remitting donations electronically be wire transfer. To transmit funds electronically, please address them as follows:  Wells Fargo Bank SF, 420 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA  94104; ABA routing number: "091000019"; account name: "ATMIA Education/Development Foundation Fund"; account number: "6502796235"; swift code: "FBIUS6S"; message: "Donations to New Orleans ~ Hurricane Katrina."

Sept. 2, 2005: Western Union Financial Services Inc., a subsidiary of First Data Corp., is taking an active role in providing immediate relief to the people most affected by Hurricane Katrina. Effective Sept. 2 and extending through Sept. 30, Western Union is reducing its current service fees by 50 percent on Western Union Money In Minutes transactions sent from within the U.S. to Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Western Union also has established a special, no-transfer fee service for U.S. consumers who wish to help by sending donations directly to the American Red Cross.

Sept. 1, 2005: Gary Walston, senior vice president of New Orleans-based Innovus Inc./Momentum Cash Systems LLC, said his company "hasn't missed a beat" and is now operating from its Houston and Dallas offices. "We don't have a way to assess the damage to our (New Orleans) facility at this point," Walston added. "We have rerouted our customer support calls from Louisiana," and company officials are now in a wait-and-see mode.

Most of the 70 employees who worked in Innovus' New Orleans facility have been located, Walston added, and are being moved to operations in Houston and Dallas for the short-term. "We are trying to assess what we can do to make a more permanent solution for them" until operations resume in New Orleans.

Also working from Dallas is New Orleans-based Columbus Data Services.

"We began sending our people to our backup site in Dallas on Saturday, when it became evident that New Orleans was going to be hit by Katrina," said CDS president Ron Schuldt in a statement issued Sept. 1. "We processed transactions throughout the hurricane and are running completely on our backup systems in Dallas. Judging from the reports we are getting out of New Orleans, we will be operating out of Dallas for a long time."

The address for CDS in Dallas is 5220 Spring Valley Road, Ste. 605, Dallas, TX, 75254.

"God was watching over our people," Schuldt added in the statement. "They are all safe. We don't know yet the extent of damage to our homes or to our office. The after-flooding really hurt, but we are alive and kickin'. I want to thank our clients, our vendors and the rest of the ATM industry for all their support and encouragement during this disaster."

Aug. 31, 2005: In a statement published Aug. 31, Brian Kett, president of Triton Systems, said his company's Long Beach, Miss., headquarters are still standing but are expected to remain closed until early next week. The company's two facilities in Long Beach - Triton West, a manufacturing plant, and Triton East, where the company's administrative, sales and engineering offices are housed - "remain in very good shape, with only very minor damage," Kett said.

Ron Schuldt, president of New Orleans-based processor Columbus Data Services, told ATMmarketplace that his operation has set up shop in Dallas, for an undetermined amount of time. Although Columbus Data's 7,500-square-foot facility is standing, Schuldt doesn't know how extensive the damage is. "We made it through the wind and the storms OK, but the levy breaking got us," he said. "We're not sure when we'll be back. We'll just have to wait until they (local authorities) let us back in." (Read full news item.)

Contact information for Triton, Columbus Data Services

• Triton: The company's Web site is expected to be updated daily, or as more information is available. Staff members should check the site or call 1-888-633-3327. For sales and service concerns, call 1-800-367-7191 or (403) 265-7500.
• Columbus Data Services: Call (214) 242-0650. The company expects to have its Web site, www.columbusdata.net, up by the end of the week, where clients and companies can find up-to-date information. The address for CDS in Dallas is 5220 Spring Valley Road, Ste. 605, Dallas, TX, 75254.

E-mail story suggestions and related sources to Tracy Kitten.

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