SYLMAR, Calif.-The fire that nearly burned down a small credit union in this bedroom community north of Los Angeles has been extinguished, but now the denuded foothills may unleash mudslides if a predicted Thanksgiving storm comes.
Barbara Felix, CEO of $30-million Olive View Employees CU here, said her credit union still is in the process of determining how many members lost their homes to the flames.
But the more immediate threat, she told Credit Union Journal at press time, is the potential for a different type of damage as forecasts at press time were calling for a lot of rain over the long holiday weekend.
Due to the loss of trees and other plant life that would normally help anchor the soil in place, the credit union is preparing for a new disaster. "The hillsides are burned bare, so we have sandbags protecting the credit union's back door from potential mudslides," Felix explained.
Bill Cheney, CEO of the California and Nevada CU Leagues, said the leagues are ready to offer support to their member credit unions.
Reports of homes lost to the fires by credit union members continue to trickle in. Sunkist Employees FCU in Van Nuys One reported one member lost a house. Another person who lost a home is a member of two CUs: San Diego Metropolitan CU and Financial Partners CU in Downey.
Huntington Beach, Calif.-based NuVision FCU said it is holding a fundraiser-employees may donate any amount they wish, and NuVision will match up to $100 per donation.
"And if the employee donates at least $5 they can wear jeans [to work] on Dec. 3," said Jennifer Tai, marketing specialist for NuVision. "We are partnering with E1 Financial so that their employees also will have the opportunity to wear jeans with a donation.
"All funds raised will be donated to the American Red Cross," Tai added.
NuVision has enacted its "Emergency Response Loan" for members who have been affected by the fires. Information was made available to members at: www.nuvisionfederal.org and https://www.nuvisionfederal.org/site/wildfire_info.html.
"While many of our employees live near affected areas and some voluntarily evacuated, none of them lost their homes," Tai reported.
