If you've been affected by the wildfires sweeping across the west coast, we're here to help.

What to do if You've Been Impacted by Wildfire

1. Call your home insurance company to check your policy. Make the company aware if you were evacuated.

2. Call your auto insurance company to check your coverage for wildfire-related damage to your vehicle(s).

3. If you had to evacuate, save receipts. Homeowner/rental policies may cover expenses such as lodging, food and even pet boarding due to mandatory evacuation. Check with your company for specific coverage.

4. If you did not evacuate, do a quick home inventory with photos and/or videos of each room, including what's on walls and in drawers and closets. Don't forget the garage and storage areas.

5. Create an inventory list of damaged personal belongings. Looking through photos and videos is helpful for recall of personal items. If possible, include the age, original cost and replacement cost of each item.

Financial Assistance

In certain instances, we may help you by extending a payment due date, waiving fees, or assisting you in meeting other obligations, depending on the need. Our team will help look at the possible impacts of this short-term and long-term, and identify a plan of action.

The assistance we provide will depend on individual situations; we'll help find solutions that work for people affected and your current financial situation.

We've provided similar assistance to communities facing wildfire destruction in the past and we're ready to do it again.

Potential assistance includes:

• support for payment planning decisions to meet current and upcoming obligations
• emergency or short term loans with consideration for employment and credit history, taking into account the sudden circumstance
• assistance contacting merchants or other lien holders about restructured repayment
• Payment extensions
• a Northwest Cash loan

To receive this assistance, visit a Northwest Community Credit Union branch or call NWCU’s call center at (800) 452-9515 during business hours.

Help is provided with the understanding that the individual will be able to produce:

• proof of employment
• financial statements and documents representing current debt or obligations.

We’re here for you when you need us.

Currently, all lending specialists are informed and will provide understanding guidance about what steps to take first to create a financial plan for what may be a serious situation for families.

We feel strongly about reaching out because so many of our credit union members, including our own employees, live and work in regions affected by seasonal fire events.