Help Floyd and Heather Rebuild After Fire

Our friends Floyd and Heather Green have experienced a devastating loss of their entire home, barn/shop and property in the Park Fire in Cohasset on July 25th.

Forty-five years ago Floyd graduated from Chico State and from that day forward he has called Cohasset his home. When his body told him he could no longer work as a lumberjack and owner/operator of his own sawmill he returned to Chico State to earn his Teaching Credential. He taught shop at Corning High for 12 years before retiring. During his year of student teaching in San Jose he met Heather. Heather was working full time as a Flight Instructor and looking at living outside of the Bay Area. Floyd and Cohasset became her home in 2004. They married in 2007. She likes flying too much to retire.

On Wednesday evening the Park Fire came through lower Cohasset. A good friend came up and helped Floyd load some valuables into their truck. The fire went a little Southwest and the homestead was saved. Heather was in the Bay Area at work. Floyd spent the night on the front porch with their two dogs, Maui and Gus.

Thursday morning Floyd dashed up to his cabin in Campbellville (Tehama County) to rescue his son and the son’s girlfriend who were staying there. Their truck had gotten stuck. They were able to evacuate to Chico and Floyd returned home.

Around 2:00 pm the winds shifted, sending a roaring fire tornado through Cohasset. Floyd fought until the hose quit providing water. It had burned in half. He had to admit defeat and run. In the noisy confusion, all five of their pets disappeared.

Everything now is soot and ash. The house, barn/shop, and several outbuildings are gone. The home they created was filled with items from their travels, family heirlooms, and valuable books. Pictures of children and lost loved ones are gone, as they predated cloud storage. Floyd lost tools, antique dozer parts, his Naval history, and vehicles he was restoring. Heather lost her late Mother’s quilts, family recipes, her flight logs, and all the little things that make daily life possible. Items especially dear to them including two baby grand pianos, a violin, and Heather’s chanter and pipe music were also destroyed. Additionally, the much love cabin in Tehama County was destroyed as well.

Several years ago Floyd and Heather’s home insurance bill went up by two thirds. They continued to pay. After years of that, the company cancelled their policy. They were jumping through the hoops to get on the California FAIR Plan when the fire occurred, so they were caught without coverage.

What Floyd and Heather will need is:

-Fire clean up expenses.

-To replace basic household goods; anything and everything needed in a home.

-To replace tools Floyd needs.

-To build a winter shelter and replace tach for the two mules.

-New clothes and shoes for all seasons.

-Furniture for permanent housing.

-Permanent home to be built on their land. They plan to use one of Butte County’s pre-done set of house plans to keep the cost down.

-New water system including rainwater collection and storage.

Floyd and Heather are very independent, self-sustaining people who are extremely humbled by the need to ask for help. With this being said, they will be so grateful for anything that you can do to help them get back on their feet.

Here's to new beginnings and in the words of the Grateful Dead

"keep on truckin' "!