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CNN Live Saturday

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Aired November 01, 2003 - 16:05   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.


JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime firefighters in San Bernardino hope the weather will help them battle wildfires there. CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley is there with that story -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, you know, the people affected by that fire, tens of thousands of people evacuated from that fire throughout the state, 100,000 people have been displaced. Maybe they lost their homes to fire or they've had to evacuate.

Many of them end up at places like this. This is the San Bernardino International Airport. In a big hangar. It used to be Norton Air Force base.

This is one of the red cross shelters set up in California. There are ten in operation right now. At one point, there were 40 shelters up and running. At this shelteder last night 1,263 people stayed, each one of them just a compelling story of what they've had to endure of loss, of hope, so many things going on with these folks who have been the victims of this fire.

Right now, I want to introduce you to someone. Mary. Mary Wallahan here lived up in Crestline (ph). And you've been staying here in this shelter since Wednesday. First of all, has your home survived?

MARY WALLAHAN, CRESTLINE RESIDENT: As far as I know, it's still in tact.

BUCKLEY: That's great news. Tell me what it's been like for you -- and Tom, show them what your living space looks like here. You have your family here, you have six grandkids that you live with. Tell me what it's like living in this space.

WALLAHAN: It has been surprisingly wonderful. The Red Cross has been incredible. We have everything we could possibly need. People come around and ask us all day long, they have boxes of all kinds of goodies, do you have chap stick, do you need earplugs, do you ned whatever.

They supplied us with all our clothes, blankets. We came out with virtually nothing. The 3-year-old got out with no shoes somehow. The 2-year-old got out with hardly any clothes. And now, I'm trying to figure out where I am going to put all this stuff. How can you accumulate so much stuff in three days.

I just went to the clinic. A clinic 24 hours day. I went to the doctor to get my prescriptions. My ride to the pharmacy just got here. She's going to take me to Cosco. The Red Cross is covering everything.

We ran into this lady with the dark hair. She's one of our neighbors up Crestline. As far as I know, she lives by us. Her house is intact. The gentleman over here in the hat, we're not show sure about his home. He's from Cedar Pines Park.

BUCKLEY: Mary, I appreciate your time and letting us look in on you. We're glad your house has survived and that you've survived. And we wish you the best.

WALLAHAN: Thank you very much.

BUCKLEY: Thank you.

That's Mary Wallahan and just one of the many people here at this shelter. 1,263 stories here, that's how many people stayed just in this one shelter here, 1 of 10 open accross California -- John.

KARL: Frank, it looks like good attitudes as well. Thanks for bringing us that story.

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 November 1, 2003 - 16:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime firefighters in San Bernardino hope the weather will help them battle wildfires there. CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley is there with that story -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, you know, the people affected by that fire, tens of thousands of people evacuated from that fire throughout the state, 100,000 people have been displaced. Maybe they lost their homes to fire or they've had to evacuate.

Many of them end up at places like this. This is the San Bernardino International Airport. In a big hangar. It used to be Norton Air Force base.

This is one of the red cross shelters set up in California. There are ten in operation right now. At one point, there were 40 shelters up and running. At this shelteder last night 1,263 people stayed, each one of them just a compelling story of what they've had to endure of loss, of hope, so many things going on with these folks who have been the victims of this fire.

Right now, I want to introduce you to someone. Mary. Mary Wallahan here lived up in Crestline (ph). And you've been staying here in this shelter since Wednesday. First of all, has your home survived?

MARY WALLAHAN, CRESTLINE RESIDENT: As far as I know, it's still in tact.

BUCKLEY: That's great news. Tell me what it's been like for you -- and Tom, show them what your living space looks like here. You have your family here, you have six grandkids that you live with. Tell me what it's like living in this space.

WALLAHAN: It has been surprisingly wonderful. The Red Cross has been incredible. We have everything we could possibly need. People come around and ask us all day long, they have boxes of all kinds of goodies, do you have chap stick, do you need earplugs, do you ned whatever.

They supplied us with all our clothes, blankets. We came out with virtually nothing. The 3-year-old got out with no shoes somehow. The 2-year-old got out with hardly any clothes. And now, I'm trying to figure out where I am going to put all this stuff. How can you accumulate so much stuff in three days.

I just went to the clinic. A clinic 24 hours day. I went to the doctor to get my prescriptions. My ride to the pharmacy just got here. She's going to take me to Cosco. The Red Cross is covering everything.

We ran into this lady with the dark hair. She's one of our neighbors up Crestline. As far as I know, she lives by us. Her house is intact. The gentleman over here in the hat, we're not show sure about his home. He's from Cedar Pines Park.

BUCKLEY: Mary, I appreciate your time and letting us look in on you. We're glad your house has survived and that you've survived. And we wish you the best.

WALLAHAN: Thank you very much.

BUCKLEY: Thank you.

That's Mary Wallahan and just one of the many people here at this shelter. 1,263 stories here, that's how many people stayed just in this one shelter here, 1 of 10 open accross California -- John.

KARL: Frank, it looks like good attitudes as well. Thanks for bringing us that story.

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