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CNN Live Today

One Woman's Loss

Aired October 31, 2003 - 11:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: More than 300 homes did burn to the ground in Scripps Ranch. That's more than 300 stories of people being displaced and losing nearly everything. One of them is Jordana Ryan. She is a single mom with two boys, and she's with us on the phone right now from Southern California.
Jordana, thank you for being with us.

JORDANA RYAN, LOST HOME IN FIRE: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Please accept our deep regrets on the loss of your home.

RYAN: I appreciate that.

KAGAN: Can you tell us, from what I've been able to read, you weren't even in the area when the fire consumed your home, so you really didn't even have a chance to get much stuff out?

RYAN: Nothing. My dog was there actually. I was in Palm Springs, and thank goodness my ex-husband called me to see if I was evacuating, and I said, what are you talking about? The fire in Simi Valley? And he said, no, there's one in Scripps Ranch. I told him the dog was there, so he went and saved my dog. And he also just for precautionary, he ran in real quick and grabbed a couple of pictures off the walls, because he really didn't think the fire would hit my area, so he -- that's all he grabbed, and left. He wanted to get out of there. There was smoke. And he had my kids with him, and could see flames on the hillside. So he just wanted to get to safety himself. And everything is gone. I only have the clothes that I had that weekend.

KAGAN: Amazing. You were saying that when you went back, you were hoping your clothes dryer might have survived so at least you would have the clothes inside the dryer, but even that didn't make it.

RYAN: Right. It was silly, because I remember doing the little laundry, the washer and dryer are there, so we went and opened the door and hoping that maybe they didn't burn, but there was just ash.

KAGAN: So what now? So what happens now?

RYAN: Well, going through the process like everyone else. The community has been awesome. They set up at the Scripps Ranch Center, everything, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all the different -- where to go, the demolition permits from people from the city, so everybody can go and kind of get an idea of where to start and what to do. We are going to rebuild. KAGAN: You will rebuild.

RYAN: Definitely rebuild. I mean, this neighborhood is awesome. It was an older house, anyway. I wanted a new house. Hey, I'm going to get a new house. My carpet was dirty, so let's just get rid of the whole thing.

KAGAN: That's definitely glass half full, I have to tell you, Jordana. So you'll get the house that, hopefully, you want.

Meanwhile, how do you explain this to your sons. They are 4 and they are 6. This has to be scary for them, just they leave and their home is gone.

RYAN: It's definitely confusing, especially for my youngest, who is going to be 4 next month. He's -- you know, we tried to explain it to him, and the next day, he's like, OK, can we go home to our new house? Let's go home. He doesn't really understand. It's going to take a while to rebuild. He just figured OK, you know.

And the flames, and the smoke and the running around definitely affected him. I mean, he's been potty trained since he was 2. Now he's having accidents. So it's definitely affecting him. The community has been great. They've brought tons of toys over, so we have a bunch of new toys, and it seems like he's OK for a few minutes, but he doesn't quite get it. And my oldest seems OK, but you can't really tell. It's just been a couple of days.

So, I'm not sure, It's a tough adjustment, and I have my moments, too. I think I'm fine, and the next moment somebody hands me a gift card, and I breakdown in tears. So it's an emotional roller coaster but I know in a year we will get through it and be fine and all that.

KAGAN: There is an incredible journey still ahead for you and your family, but as you point out, your boys are out safely and your dog is out safely, and your family is safe and together. We wish you well.

RYAN: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And I just want to thank everybody in Scripps Ranch, the girls basketball team, the people that I work with, the San Diego Padres, who are actually throwing a Halloween party today for all the kids in the neighborhood, and everybody has just been wonderful, the outpouring of support, everybody offering their home to me and my boys. It's been tremendous. So I want to say thank you to everybody, and I really appreciate all your help and support.

KAGAN: All the best to you, Jordana, taking time out from what's certainly a very busy time as we try to get your life back together. Jordana Ryan, one of the residents from Scripps Ranch.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 31, 2003 - 11:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: More than 300 homes did burn to the ground in Scripps Ranch. That's more than 300 stories of people being displaced and losing nearly everything. One of them is Jordana Ryan. She is a single mom with two boys, and she's with us on the phone right now from Southern California.
Jordana, thank you for being with us.

JORDANA RYAN, LOST HOME IN FIRE: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Please accept our deep regrets on the loss of your home.

RYAN: I appreciate that.

KAGAN: Can you tell us, from what I've been able to read, you weren't even in the area when the fire consumed your home, so you really didn't even have a chance to get much stuff out?

RYAN: Nothing. My dog was there actually. I was in Palm Springs, and thank goodness my ex-husband called me to see if I was evacuating, and I said, what are you talking about? The fire in Simi Valley? And he said, no, there's one in Scripps Ranch. I told him the dog was there, so he went and saved my dog. And he also just for precautionary, he ran in real quick and grabbed a couple of pictures off the walls, because he really didn't think the fire would hit my area, so he -- that's all he grabbed, and left. He wanted to get out of there. There was smoke. And he had my kids with him, and could see flames on the hillside. So he just wanted to get to safety himself. And everything is gone. I only have the clothes that I had that weekend.

KAGAN: Amazing. You were saying that when you went back, you were hoping your clothes dryer might have survived so at least you would have the clothes inside the dryer, but even that didn't make it.

RYAN: Right. It was silly, because I remember doing the little laundry, the washer and dryer are there, so we went and opened the door and hoping that maybe they didn't burn, but there was just ash.

KAGAN: So what now? So what happens now?

RYAN: Well, going through the process like everyone else. The community has been awesome. They set up at the Scripps Ranch Center, everything, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all the different -- where to go, the demolition permits from people from the city, so everybody can go and kind of get an idea of where to start and what to do. We are going to rebuild. KAGAN: You will rebuild.

RYAN: Definitely rebuild. I mean, this neighborhood is awesome. It was an older house, anyway. I wanted a new house. Hey, I'm going to get a new house. My carpet was dirty, so let's just get rid of the whole thing.

KAGAN: That's definitely glass half full, I have to tell you, Jordana. So you'll get the house that, hopefully, you want.

Meanwhile, how do you explain this to your sons. They are 4 and they are 6. This has to be scary for them, just they leave and their home is gone.

RYAN: It's definitely confusing, especially for my youngest, who is going to be 4 next month. He's -- you know, we tried to explain it to him, and the next day, he's like, OK, can we go home to our new house? Let's go home. He doesn't really understand. It's going to take a while to rebuild. He just figured OK, you know.

And the flames, and the smoke and the running around definitely affected him. I mean, he's been potty trained since he was 2. Now he's having accidents. So it's definitely affecting him. The community has been great. They've brought tons of toys over, so we have a bunch of new toys, and it seems like he's OK for a few minutes, but he doesn't quite get it. And my oldest seems OK, but you can't really tell. It's just been a couple of days.

So, I'm not sure, It's a tough adjustment, and I have my moments, too. I think I'm fine, and the next moment somebody hands me a gift card, and I breakdown in tears. So it's an emotional roller coaster but I know in a year we will get through it and be fine and all that.

KAGAN: There is an incredible journey still ahead for you and your family, but as you point out, your boys are out safely and your dog is out safely, and your family is safe and together. We wish you well.

RYAN: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And I just want to thank everybody in Scripps Ranch, the girls basketball team, the people that I work with, the San Diego Padres, who are actually throwing a Halloween party today for all the kids in the neighborhood, and everybody has just been wonderful, the outpouring of support, everybody offering their home to me and my boys. It's been tremendous. So I want to say thank you to everybody, and I really appreciate all your help and support.

KAGAN: All the best to you, Jordana, taking time out from what's certainly a very busy time as we try to get your life back together. Jordana Ryan, one of the residents from Scripps Ranch.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com