GARBERVILLE, Calif.—Countless credit unions, their members and their staff are scrambling to deal with the devastation of widespread wildfires across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest that have killed dozens of people, destroyed millions of acres of land, covered branches in ash, and left many—including CU employees—without homes.
For many CUs it has meant dealing with evacuation orders or preparing to evacuate at any time. At Vocality Community Credit Union in Northern California, for instance, its CEO and staff were packed and ready to evacuate over the weekend as the fires threatened their office here and many of their own residences.
As of Saturday, across the west 97 large fires were burning, including 12 in Idaho and nine in Montana. The fires have left people across the region, even far from the fires themselves, living beneath a thick cloud of smoke.
Outside of the threat from the numerous blazes that have converged into a “big ball of fire,” Vocality Community CU CEO Pat Neighbors told CUToday.info a big issue now is air quality.
‘So Much Smoke & Ash’
“There is just so much smoke and ash in the air,” said Neighbors, coughing as she shared details of the fires encroaching on the $145-million credit union. “It’s like Armageddon here—the smoke is incredible. The credit union is operating under a warning of evacuation.”
The CU is threatened by the Hopkins and Elkhorn fires that have converged with other fires, now called the Elkhorn Complex fire. Suffocating smoke plumes have reached 55,000 feet in height.
Neighbors said some members have already lost their homes, but she was unaware of any staff whose homes have burned. She noted some staff are not able to get back to their homes due to the fire, and said she was unsure of the condition of those residences.
She said the fires were several miles from the credit union’s office, with everyone in her town under orders to be packed and ready to evacuate. She added that communication from authorities on what to do and the advancement of the fires has been slow to arrive and sporadic.
Vocality CU shared this photo of the sky in its area.
“We’re ready to go if we have to, if that is what we are ordered to do,” she said. “Firefighters are having a difficult time fighting these flames, as its very mountainous here and the smoke is so heavy. I am exceptionally grateful for the efforts of our first responders and firefighters.”
Mobile Branch Gets Mobile
The credit union has a mobile branch Neighbors said is prepared to serve members.
“To keep it safe we have moved it 60 miles away from our office here,” she said.
“I am so proud of our team and their commitment to our community,” Neighbors said. “Our mobile branch unit has been deployed to a safe staging area—ready to serve as our command center if we are forced to leave the office.”
In Oregon, approximately 600,000 people have been under some type of evacuation alert, with actual evacuation orders having been issued for approximately 40,000 Oregonians, according to Gov. Kate Brown. The state of Oregon has said it is preparing for a “mass fatality incident” due to the number of structures that have burned.
As CUToday.info reported here, a half-dozen employees of Rogue Credit Union in Medford, Ore. have lost their own homes due to the fires.
The Rogue Credit Union Foundation has also established a donation portal with the credit union matching up to $50,000 in funds raised. In less than 24 hours CEO Gene Pelham said $38,000 had been donated.
‘Impact is Devastating’
In Tigard, Ore., the Northwest Credit Union Association told CUToday.info it had contacted nearly 50 of its member credit unions affected by the fires, saying the “impact is devastating.”
Vocality CU's mobile branch.
The Northwest Credit Union Foundation has activated its disaster relief program to assist credit unions and their employees.
“We have been in close contact with credit union leaders across the region, and have learned how dire the situation is,” said Sharee Adkins, NWCUF executive director. “Hundreds of credit union employees have been evacuated, some have lost their homes, and many of the credit union branches need supplies, employee support, or other services.”
The Foundation said credit union employees, board members, or volunteers may apply for assistance grants here. To streamline the process of getting help to people when it is most needed, credit union leadership may apply on behalf of their impacted team members, Adkins added.
Affected credit unions may also apply for assistance grants online.
The National Credit Union Foundation is also accepting donations and support through its CUAidProgram.
Branches Covered in Ash
According to reports gathered by CUNA:
In California, Sierra Central Credit Union in Yuba City temporarily evacuated two of its branches due to fires and reduced hours at two others. “We are experiencing the worst air quality I have ever seen in Northern California,” CEO John Cassidy told CUNA. “All of our 20 branches are covered in ash. Because of power outages, three branches are running on generators. Our team has done a great job. Most members don’t realize what we’ve had to do to keep things running.”
Cassidy said 11 Sierra Central employees have had to evacuate their homes. Four have since returned.
Sierra Central is offering emergency loans up to $5,000 and consumer loan extensions up to two months for affected members.
As CUToday.info reported earlier, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Redwood Credit Union continues to accept donations through its Redwood Credit Union Community Fund via its 2020 Fire Relief Fund to assist fire survivors and aid relief efforts.
Assistance from California CUs
According to reports gathered by the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues:
- Noble Credit Union in Fresno, Calif. is raising money for an organization that will provide aid to those in need. This includes a $5,000 match from the credit union.
- San Mateo Credit Union in Redwood donated $10,000 to two nonprofits helping fire survivors.
- The Fire Family Foundation, the charitable arm of Firefighters First Credit Union in Los Angeles, is providing disaster relief kits to those on the front lines of the wildfires.
- Travis Credit Union in Vacaville continues to accept donations to its foundation to bring immediate financial assistance to victims, firefighters, and communities. The credit union will distribute 100% of all donations to supporting recovery efforts, the leagues said.
Assistance from Oregon CU
In Oregon, OnPoint Community Credit Union has donated $50,000 to the local Red Cross to support those affected by the fires, and said it is also covering food and temporary shelter expenses for any employee who is ordered to evacuate their home.
NCUA ‘Monitoring’ Fires
Meanwhile, in a statement NCUA said it is monitoring the wildfires and “stands ready to provide assistance to federally insured credit unions in the affected areas.”
The agency said credit unions are encouraged to keep in contact with their examiners, and the agency will be ready to assist credit unions with maintaining or restoring operations, if necessary.
NCUA noted it maintains a hurricane and disaster information page on its website with more material on preparedness, disaster recovery, and staying safe.
NCUA reminded its Office of Credit Union Resources and Expansion can provide urgent needs grants of up to $7,500 to low-income credit unions that experience sudden costs to restore operations because of these fires. Agency examiners can assist credit unions that wish to apply for those grants.