SANTA ROSA, Calif.—With the death toll now rising to 21 and hundreds of people reported missing from the fires raging in Northern California, credit unions, largely, have avoided any damage.
That is the latest report from the California and Nevada League, which said it is still closely monitoring the situation, and the plight of CUs near the massive blaze.
As CUtoday.info reported, a First Tech FCU location within one of its SEG groups has been damaged, while the headquarters of Redwood CU in Santa Rosa, Calif., remains undamaged but still very close to the nearby fires. First Tech’s headquarters are in Mountain View, Calif.
“We are still assessing the damages,” said the league’s Tina Ramos-Ingold. “It appears that, so far, no credit union headquarters or branch, other than First Tech, has been damaged.”
Ramos-Ingold said the league has yet to be made aware of any losses to employee homes.
Some credit union branches that were closed yesterday are now open today—Sierra Central CU’s Paradise branch and Travis CU’s Napa branch—the league stated.
Redwood Credit Union is now accepting donations to a North Bay Fire Relief Fund. “Our hearts go out to those impacted by the devastating North Bay fires,” the credit union said on its website. “Redwood Credit Union is here to help with your financial needs. We're also taking donations to support the victims of the fires.”
Donations can be made here: https://www.redwoodcu.org/northbayfirerelief
Reports indicate that firefighters battling the deadly blazes face a daunting new challenge: Winds are expected to pick back up, threatening to spread the wildfires. Most of the fires were ignited Sunday, driven by winds of up to 79 mph and dry conditions. The winds died down early this week, but gusts around 40 mph were possible Wednesday, and no rain is forecast for the next few days.