Neighbors come to the rescue when Edick insurance agency building burns down

July 25--Within hours of a fire that gutted the offices of Bill Edick Insurance Agency, Bill Edick Jr. received about 100 phone calls from people wanting to help.

"Somehow, out of all the chaos, there comes some sense of order," he said of the July 10 blaze in Yuba City that also damaged the North Central Counties Consortium offices. "People really came together."

Shortly after the Yuba City Fire Department began to attack the fire at 1425 Butte House Road, Kari Edick-Johnson was there, wearing just her pajamas and slippers. Her brother, Bill Edick Jr.; father, Bill Edick; and his wife, Amy Edick, all came to help.

"We made a plan right there on how to get the business up and going as quick as possible," said Bill Edick. "Our computer guy got our phones routed to my daughter's cellphone and a computer set up at her house to get things going."

By 7 a.m. the day of the fire, Russell Hogue, owner of Computer Works, was salvaging what he could from the fire. A server and a couple of computers were all that remained of the electronics.

"I'm glad we were able to help them out because they've always been a good resource in the community," said Hogue, who has been managing the insurance company's computer and phone systems for the past couple of years. "It was good to see the community rally to help them, like they've helped the community in the past."

Bill Edick said they began salvaging other office equipment on July 11, and a friend with a box truck came to help secure and transport what they could from the aftermath. Edick said numerous others arrived to help sift through the ashes.

"I was humbled. Not a lot of things make me cry, but that did," said Edick. "We had a lot of people in the community come out to help, and in times of need, you really see how good people are."

They created a makeshift office at Edick-Johnson's nearby home and began doing what they could with limited resources.

"Clients came to my house, and we helped them out on my dining room table," said Edick-Johnson, who also said she helped write policies from her cellphone.

A temporary office location on Shasta Street was secured, and they began preparing it for their business operations. By Tuesday, they were moving and ready for customers.

"If we were going to get back up and be ready for business for our clients, I knew we'd have to do it on our own." said Bill Edick, who added it could take months for the insurance company that covered them to complete their claim.

CONTACT Chris Kaufman at 749-4794.

___

(c)2015 the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.)

Visit the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.) at www.appeal-democrat.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.