California credit unions are serving members the best they know how under some of the worst winter disaster conditions ever experienced as local residents persevere under heavy downpours, flash-flooded streets, wind gusts, mudslides, avalanches, sinkholes, evacuations, downed trees, and damaged homes and buildings.
So far, a handful of credit unions have accessed CUAid — and the California Credit Union League encourages other credit unions to do so. Click here for the grant relief application, guidelines, recovery app for download, donation link, and other resources.
This national action-response program harnesses the generosity of the credit union movement to provide disaster relief grant assistance for credit union employees and volunteers who need financial help so they can take care of their families and continue helping members in the communities they serve.
Latest Update, Figures, and Damage
As of Friday morning, residents and businesses have been hit with a barrage of emergency alerts from local and state transportation agencies and other public departments as reports of widespread devastation continue rolling in. By some estimates, California’s rainfall over the past couple of weeks has been 400 – 600 percent higher than average depending on the local region in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
The atmospheric river storms have overlapped with a low-pressure system often referred to as a bomb cyclone, a phenomenon that generally occurs when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass. More than $1 billion in damage has been confirmed by some estimates as of this week. Also, 19 people were confirmed dead as of Thursday.
Following a request by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in the state, opening the door for expanded federal support in dealing with the disaster.
Nearly every region of the state, boasting nearly 40 million residents, has been impacted to one extent or another — from San Diego to far Northern California, including the Inland Empire, the greater Los Angeles/Orange County vicinity, Central Coast, Central Valley, Bay Area, and Sacramento. Combined, credit unions across the state serve 13.3 million members, with nearly all of them residing in these communities spread across the storm-ridden state.
CUAid Information & Resources
You can file an emergency financial assistance application if your staff or volunteers need immediate help during these crisis situations:
Please email Davina Law with any questions.
