January 20, 2025 • 51 mins
In this touching episode of "Covering Your Health with Evelyn Erives," we explore the emotional and practical challenges faced by those who have lost their homes to devastating fires. Our special guest, Erika Hernandez, a fellow iHeartRadio colleague, shares her personal journey of loss and resilience after her home was destroyed in the Edgehill fire in August 2024.
Dedicated to the residents of Los Angeles County currently grappling with the aftermath of the California wildfires, this episode offers support, resources, and hope. Join us as we discuss the steps to take immediately after such a tragedy, the importance of mental health care, and the community resources available to help rebuild lives.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation that underscores the strength of the human spirit and the power of community in times of crisis.
For more information on this show's topic and additional resources visit IEHP.org or (800) 440-IEHP.
iHeartMedia has partnered with Dream Center Los Angeles, providing hope and relief during the LA fire. You can learn more here.
Reach out to Evelyn via Instagram @evelynerives or email her at EvelynErives@iHeartMedia.com
Dedicated to the residents of Los Angeles County currently grappling with the aftermath of the California wildfires, this episode offers support, resources, and hope. Join us as we discuss the steps to take immediately after such a tragedy, the importance of mental health care, and the community resources available to help rebuild lives.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation that underscores the strength of the human spirit and the power of community in times of crisis.
For more information on this show's topic and additional resources visit IEHP.org or (800) 440-IEHP.
iHeartMedia has partnered with Dream Center Los Angeles, providing hope and relief during the LA fire. You can learn more here.
Reach out to Evelyn via Instagram @evelynerives or email her at EvelynErives@iHeartMedia.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Covering Your
Health with Evelyn Erives, presented by I EhP. You know,
when we started this podcast in.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Late twenty twenty three, our intent.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Was really to speak openly and honestly about health related
topics that really mattered the most to you. Right well,
these next two episodes are dedicated to those who have
been affected by the recent firestorm in Los Angeles County
that's really just decimated neighborhoods and businesses, throwing so many
into a realm that it's just really unknown right left
(00:34):
with asking questions how do we build from here?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Our guests today, I'm.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So so excited to have her here. She knows firsthand
after losing her home and a very fast moving fire
in the north end of San Bernardino. She since then
she's my friend. For the record, I could get a
little emotional talking about this. Erica Hernandez is also a
member of my family, the iHeart Family. She works here
(01:02):
in the office with me as well. She's been using
her voice to support those affected by natural disasters. She's
talking to people about rebuilding their lives. What she's learned
the importance of being prepared and how She's just navigating
that new normalcy with her children, which is so inspiring
and I think you're really going.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To love this.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
We're so grateful to have Erica on the podcast today
for this important conversation. But before we get started, please
visit our show notes.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
You can learn how to.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Support those affected by these recent fires. I'm going to
put some links there that you can find. Maybe you
want to donate monetarily if that's the best way for you,
you absolutely can, or maybe you want to volunteer.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
There's a lot of good in that as well.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
You can also follow me on social media at Evelyn
Erivez or in an Empire Health Plan at i EhP
Underscore Healthcare for additional links and helpful resources.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Welcome to Covering your Health, a wellness podcast to covering
all areas of living a healthy and happy lifestyle, from
healthy hearts to understanding health plans and everything in between.
Each episode will provide you with a better understanding of
managing your health, preventative care, and staying on the.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Right path for your family's wellness journey.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The Covering Your Health podcast is presented by i e HP.
Now your host Evelina Revez.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
All Right, well, awesome. I'm so excited to have you here. Erica.
Welcome to the Covering Your Health podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
So I know Erica well, she's part of our iHeart family,
So I do know a little bit of the backstory,
but I want to know more about you. Tell everybody
who you are, tell us about your family and what.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
You do with iHeart.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Well, I am a mother of two boys. So I
have a nine year old and a seventeen year old.
My seventeen year old is about to graduate high school,
which is so so emotional for me. It's been an
emotional year already, you know, my God for that. So
and then have my husband, Justin, and we did have
(03:06):
our three dogs. They're still part of my family and
my heart and I work here at our Heart as
an account executive. I oh, we're huge Dodger fans. When
I knew that, we are a big baseball family. So
you know we we love the Dodgers, always have and
you know, we were big on animals. We love rescues.
(03:31):
Our three dogs were rescue dogs, and you know we
just want to take them all in. Yeah, if we could.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
I have a friend who we joke around to call
her the dog hoarder because she's the same way that is.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
My that's my husband. I'm like, you cannot just he
cannot see astray out on the street or else. He's
going to bring it help and I'm like, justin, we.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Can't keep doing this.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I can't take all the dogs. I'd love to, but
I can't.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, that's dogs play a very big part of your
story that we're going to share right now, So let's
just get into it. So, there's a lot of people
that have been affected by fires here in California over
the last month. I want to talk about your particular
story that happened back in August when your life was
uprooted with the Edge Hill fire. Tell me tell me
(04:20):
about that. What was your experience through that.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Tell me about that day.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Well, it's definitely a day I'll never forget it was,
you know. I Mean, the first thing that comes to
mind is, you know, we we just weren't prepared, and
you know that that's what really just drives me to
share my story because you know, we we bought our
first house in twenty twenty one, and we you know,
(04:47):
live We found a beautiful home in the hillside, beautiful view,
and you know, we did think, okay, yeah, we're kind
of in a fire zone. But like you know, we
had talked to our neighbors. They were like, hasn't you know,
we haven't seen that in the area. You know, sometimes
we have little local fires. But that was it, and
so you know, had to get the fire insurance and
all that, and I you know, we just lived life
(05:10):
and just didn't really think about what could happen if
there was a natural disaster just like that. And you know,
I I really feel like sometimes people just don't think like, oh,
it's not gonna it's it's not gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
To me, right exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Well, I mean I think we all think that way sometimes,
like yeah, that happens to other people, that's not gonna
happen to me.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Right yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
And and I and I want to tell everyone that's
listening that it can. It doesn't matter if you live
out on the hillside or even you know, down the valley.
I mean you it will happen. And I remember that
the day after the fire, we had a community meeting,
and you know, the fire chief was like, it's not
(05:52):
if it's going to happen, it's when it's going to happen,
and how are you prepared? What resources are you using
in your community that you can and you know they
can alert you, because we weren't alerted the fire happened.
I think the first nine one one call came in
at two forty in the afternoon, and I didn't even
know until three thirty. My husband called.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
My gosh, almost an hour later.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Almost an hour later, and you know, my husband called
me and he said, you know, our neighbor called. He said,
our street's on the fire, on fire. And I looked
on the ring camera and I could see across the
street that the house was on fire across the street.
Oh my god, and the smoke, and I was like, oh,
my gosh. And to be quite honest, I really didn't
(06:35):
take it serious. And my husband was working, Yeah it
was work. Yeah, I was here, and I was like,
it's probably just like, you know, just a little fire,
and my husband's like, no, you need to get over there.
So as soon as I hopped on the freeway, I
could see this just big plume of smoke and I
knew it was from where our area was. And then
it's closer I got. I mean, just my heart just
(06:57):
dropped I just could not get there quick enough, and
it was traffic and I was just you know, crying,
and I kept looking at the ring camera even though
I was driving. I probably shouldn't have been doing that, but
I kept looking to try to get updates, you know.
And then I got up there, and by that time
it was just too late. I mean that the sky
was literally like black, and you know, the first responders
(07:20):
like they would not let me through. And the first
thing I said was let me go get my dogs please,
Like can I can I please get my dogs? They're
trapped inside and and he was like, I'm sorry, you
can't come up here. So I was like fumbling trying
to look for my keys, couldn't find him. I found
my garage opener, gave it to the first responder and
I said, can you just open up the garage maybe
(07:41):
somebody and maybe he'll one of them come out. They'll
come out, and you know, unfortunately it was it was
too late. And I just never want anybody to have
to feel that pain, build that pain, you know, and
just take it serious, because you know, be prepared.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I remember, are you telling me?
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Well?
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I remember that day very very clearly, because it was
traumatizing for everybody here to see you go through that
and to watch it. We were watching the news. I
was like, oh my god, this is not real. Is
this real? Our coworker, like this is actually happened to
somebody we know, you know, it's weird like that. And
I remember you telling me about that day how your
son was going to be home.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Oh yeah, we hadn't even started school yet.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
It was the first day of school, and my younger
son it was his first day, and then my older
son he didn't start till Wednesday. So the fire happened
on Monday, so it didn't start he didn't start to Wednesday.
But something told me the night before I told him,
why don't you just go to Grandma's, Go go to
my mom's, you know, I said, just go visit her.
I mean, why do you want to be Why do
you want to be here all by yourself? You know?
(08:47):
And then the kids had been there at the house,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
By themselves every day because they're older, I know.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Yeah, And so how did it happen? I always think, well,
what if it happened the monday before and they were
home and they had to deal with that, and you
know what if Jacob, you know, was you know, my
which my older son. What if he was home that
day and he was, you know, taking a nap, or
he was in the shower, or he had his headphones
on and yeah, you know, and what if he was
(09:15):
trying to rescue the dogs and you know, you just
don't know and the fire started on their side of
the like where their rooms are, so and I don't know.
You know, as mom, sometimes you have this discernment that
that something that tells you to to do or say something.
And that's what I did with my older son and
we all left that morning, and we said goodbye to
(09:36):
the dogs, We did our normal routine, went to work,
and came home to a house that was just burnt
in ashes.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Just so thank you so much for sharing that.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
I know, I feel like is it therapeutic for you
to talk about it now with people?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Is do you feel like it's easier.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Not easier to talk about Yeah, I get choked up too,
but is it like a little bit more like therapeutic
for you to be like, this is what happened through
through that day and what what makes you feel good
about that? Do you feel like you're sharing information with
people when you do that to teach people.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
It is, it's really healing. I mean, I mean, I
you know, part of me was really quiet about it
at first because I just, you know, I just like
I didn't want to be that person like, oh my gosh, okay,
she's you know, there's a fire, she had a fire
in her house and she lost you know, I don't know,
I just I know, I just felt.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Like I didn't want you, didn't want people to feel
like you were.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
That's exactly. And I don't know, crazy me thinking something.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I sort of think that's like a woman thing too,
Like we kind of we don't want to be a bother, yeah, right.
We don't want people to like no, no, no, we're fine,
We're fine. Yes, you don't want to do that, right.
And I think that's just a natural instinct sometimes that
we have to teach ourselves to get out of, right
because it's okay, right.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
And it's a pride thing too, you know, especially with
when we had got donations, it was really really hard
for us.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Oh somebody somebody made a GoFundMe for you.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Yeah, and my girlfriends did it right away that day,
and it was just and I'm like, I don't know,
you know, you just don't know, and then people are
just wanting to help, and you're just overwhelmed and it's like,
you know, you don't have anything, right, you just have
just the clothes on your back, and people are here
reaching out to help you.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
And people you don't know, probably.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Right, strangers. I had no idea. And of course, because
the news was up there and they interviewed me, of
course they got me right when I'm like walking into
my on my driveway and like watching my house like
still smoking up, you know, and there the firemen are
still trying to get the hot spots and I'm just
like in shock, you know. So of course the camera's
(11:48):
caught that.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah, and it touches people.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I mean, it really it resonates because people realize, oh
my god, what if that?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
What would I do if I were in that situation?
Speaker 1 (11:58):
They put themselves in that situation, and then all the
instant thing is how do we do something?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
How do we do something?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah, I'll give money, you know, they're gonna need it,
They're gonna.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Need and I'm like, no, like let me, let me
get you food. And we're like, oh, we're okay, but
like we.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Need it, but actually we're not.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
But we're not. Here's a toothbrush, okay, but I can
go buy one, but no, okay, I'll take it. You know,
it's it's it's really hard. So going back to your question,
you know about just what you know, sharing my story
it is healing and it is therapeutic because you know,
people want to like they relate with you. You know,
(12:38):
there's dog owners out there, homeowners, people with children, people
that go to work every day and it's the same
hustle that everybody does and for it to happen to
somebody like and I've gotten a lot of my friends
and people that have come up to me and been like,
I have never met anybody who's their house burnt down right.
(13:00):
It's like, you know, if you would think it would
be like more common here in California, but I feel
like it's getting more.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Common well now right now, all of a sudden, it
feels like I know five people, right, but no, it
was uncommon. You were the first person I knew that that.
I think I knew one person who would happened when
they were a kid.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Like years and years ago. Yeah, you know, you were the.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
First person I ever met that actually had their house
burned down, and I was like, oh my god, it's shocking.
It's so shocking, and it's still shocking even with these
whole neighborhoods decimated. You your neighborhood was how many houses burned?
Speaker 4 (13:33):
There was five total, five of your houses.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Yeah, so that is I mean, it's still devastating to
your neighborhood. You know, that is everyone now having to
rebuild and figure this out. So let's let's start with that.
Where are you at with that process? What steps did
you have to start taking to rebuild?
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Well, well, first we had I mean we were in shock,
of course, yeah, of course. So after kind of I
mean the next day, we're like, okay, we we got
to get to business. You know, as much as you
want to sit there and cry and stay in bed,
it's like, okay, what steps do we need to do
to get us back on our call?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Like, what's the first phone call?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
Right? Your first first phone call is your your fire insurance.
You know. Unfortunately our fire insurance dropped us January first
of last year, and my husband was looking for almost
four months for a new insurance because nobody would take
us here in California.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
You guys went four months without insurance.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Yes, yes, my god, we got our insurance and five
months later the house burnt down, which is just I mean,
I look back and I'm like, oh my god, thank god,
Yes that didn't happen. What if that happened last year
at this time, like we would have been without insurance
like all those residents out there in La I mean,
and these insurances they just I mean, they gave us
(14:54):
a notice. They said, you know, they sent us a
notice in December and said, hey, January first, you'll no
longer be with and we're moving out of state. So yeah,
so but luckily we did find a good insurance. And
I think a lot of people don't understand too, Like
everybody is like, oh, the insurance is so you know, terrible,
and they just don't want to give you the money.
(15:15):
In my experience and what what we're dealing with, our
insurance has been very good.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
That's great.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
We've had we have a great agent and he's willing
to help us out. I will tell you, it is tedious.
There's a lot of paperwork you gotta I mean, we're
still working on our personal property form. You have to
write down every little thing that you had in your house,
Like I mean, you can even like claim a pen.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Or a plate, any plates that I have candel, I.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Mean, just the most random things. And sometimes you're like
I don't really want to put that on there, but
you have to meet there like what like what you
qualified for like through the insurance, so like you have
to get up to not remember everything and you had
and so they said to go back onto your pictures
and your videos and just like see what you had
(16:08):
in your house, which you can remember, and it's a lot.
So yeah, So definitely the insurance you got to you
gotta call them and put in your claim, and then
your mortgage company you got to notify them about that.
Some mortgage companies are open to deferring your your mortgage
(16:28):
for a few months. Unfortunately we didn't have that option,
but we are in the process of still trying to
fight to get that.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
So because you're paying a mortgage, paying a mortgage and
right now, because I know it's not built, your home
is not built yet, but you guys are living in
temporary housing, okay, Yeah, and you're having to pay for that.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Yeah, so that is also part of the insurance. So
good with our insurance is like there's like three pots.
There's one for personal property, one for the spensive living,
which is you know, us getting into the hotel or
a rental, and then there's the other one for the dwelling,
which is to be able to rebuild. So we were
(17:10):
able to. We had that, and I will say, I
mean my husband, thank god, he put we have hazard.
He added hazard to the insurance. Had we not, we
probably wouldn't have gotten so blessed and lucky to day
right away. So the insurance stepped in, got a company
(17:32):
to help us find a hotel, which we moved into
a few days later after the fire, and we lived
in the hotel for three months. And at first, yeah,
I know, at first you're like, ooh, these pillows are nice,
like and then comforter, this bed's comfy. I could do this,
you know, housekeeping, Oh this is cool. You know what
(17:56):
contin whatever is bringing.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
The joy in that moment, I'm here for it, because
after all the laws and the heartbreak, yeah, take it right, right.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
But then a few months later that gets I'm sure
a month later got old.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Oh my gosh. By the end of the three months,
I mean we were just right about to.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Yeah, we're all living together a lot closer than you were.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
Yeah, And it was one bedroom and then my older
son slept on the couch like the pool out bed,
and we're jumping over each other in the morning trying
to get in one bathroom. You guys, can you understand
I was in it chering a bathroom with three boys
and I say three boys, well, my two boys and
my husband. Yes, So I mean I was like, oh
(18:36):
my gosh, get me out of.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Here so hard.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Yeah. So we were able to find the rental, which
is essentrally located to school and work and nice and yeah,
so it's been it's been good. That part has been
nice to have some type of normalcy.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
But I want people to know too, it's like that
process doesn't happen overnight. Yeah, it takes time. I mean,
think about it. We were there for three months in
a hotel looking for a home, and I can't imagine
like the competition now out in La Oh. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And that's all we keep hearing is those stories are
just it's ridiculous.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
It's almost like maybe they have to even move out
of state or move out.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Of the area or completely out of the area to
find something to find. So what important documents do you
wish you had on you when I know that day
you were shocked in everything. What would you tell someone
never experienced this situation? What sort of documents do you
wish you had? Maybe in a fire safe or like
something like that.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Definitely a fireproof safe.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yeah, we didn't have one.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
We had an area where we had all our part documents,
you know, social Security card, passports. We just got our passports,
Oh my gosh, yeah, after going through that podcast. You
know that takes like months. So we had just received
them in the different like not even a few weeks later. So,
but I mean, we didn't have a fireproof safe. And
(19:58):
you know, I've always well what I've heard from a
lot of like the fire chiefs and stuff like that,
to keep it in a place that you know that
you can just go and get it right away, even
like maybe somewhere like near the door or you know,
just like so, and also like having a list of
things like in case in an emergency on your refrigerator
(20:20):
to just you know, because I've been hearing a lot
of the evacuees that like they just blanked out, had
no idea what to bring. They were like, uh, oh.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
My gosh, that's I get.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
The number one thing I've been hearing too is everyone
says their mind goes blank and they can't think about anything.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
It's panic mode, it really is.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
It is. And that's why I couldn't find my keys
when I got there. I mean they were right there
next to me, but I could not get them. I
found my garage opener instead. But you know, you just
are in this state of mind that you're you're trying
to survive, You're trying to process what's going on, and
you're like trying to think, like okay, business wise, okay,
what do I need? All right? Everybody always thinks about
(21:02):
the important documents too, but you know there's some things
that you know that maybe people wish they would have
gotten and they didn't, like special sentimental items like from
you know, late parents or grandparents or family things that
you know. My husband and I had my father in
law's he he he had a flag that because he served,
(21:28):
yeah so and he it was put in a little
box and that was my father in law passed away
almost five years ago, a little over five years ago,
and so that was over his coffin and the flag
and they and you know, they had folded it up
real nice for us and it was like a little
glass you know, what do you call the case? And
(21:51):
and it's gone. You know that the kids like their
their paintings when they were younger, and like all their
you know, their school pictures and you know, all that
stuff they just can't replace. So I mean I would say,
just like, have all that in a spot, you know
that if in case of emergency, if you even run out,
(22:13):
what were the things that you want to get? And
make that list and put it on your refrigerator and
you know, yeah, and rehearse with your kids, rechurst with
your kids.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
I love that idea because my son with these fires,
my son has been talking to me a lot more
about it because you know, it's jarring for us as adults,
but kids watching this scene on the news and it's
constant coverage, Yeah, they start questioning like what would we do?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Right?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
And I'm really grateful that my own kids because I'm like,
I don't know what we would do. Oh my god,
I don't know. But my son's like, what would you take?
You know?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
And he started thinking of that, and I was like,
you know what, you should always have an idea, now, right,
just always have an idea, And we came up with
a mini plan of how to get out of our house.
But our house is all one story, so it's not
overly complicated, and everyone has a window, so you know,
and that was kind of like our thought, like everyone
just bust your window, you know, that's the way it
would happen if it was the middle of the night.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
But a plan is what you got to do, especially
talk to your kids about that.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Make sure your your fire alarms are working working, I
know they can be annoying if the battery runts out
and it seems to always do at the wrong Why
didn't that happen like two o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I don't know, I don't know, I'm right.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
And then you don't have the battery, You're like, dang it,
take it off all night? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (23:36):
How did your community rally around you? I know you
have a really fun story and it's it's heartbreaking, but
a good story. There was one thing left standing at
your house that everybody saw in a picture, and that was.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Our Dodger flag, our beautiful Dodger flag that you know
was blowing in the wind. You know. Yeah, I'm like,
how is that we were able to save it? So
it's actually hanging up in our garage right now, yea,
and we're like we're going to keep that. That's like,
you know, remembrance. But yeah, I mean we and our
(24:14):
neighbors all near the weird Dodger fans. I'm sure they
heard us during the games, and yeah, because we were
quite loud, you know. But and you know, my son
plays baseball. So but as far as like the community
like reach out was just it was overwhelming and just humbling.
(24:35):
I mean, it was the day of the fire. I
mean I had complete strangers and neighbors just hugging me
and crying with me, like full on tears, just crying,
and I don't know who it was. And I was
just bawling. You know.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Yeah, it's humanity, it is.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
And you know, I always say, well, after the fire,
it's like, you know, we all focus on so much
negative and the evil in the world a lot, you know,
and sometimes we get really consumed with that. And and
after this, after a tragedy, you really see the goodness
in people, in humanity and just like you're like, wow,
(25:16):
there there is hope for this world. There's a lot.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
There's far more good in the world.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Yes, I agree. I agree. I mean, like I said,
like strangers were just coming up with like bags of clothes.
Oh you know how what what size your are? Your boys?
One guy came like like that day, like an hour
or two later and brought a big bag of clothes
from for my older son. I mean, people were just like,
(25:42):
you know, just rallying for us, and and and so
in regards to the Dodger you know the experience, I
would say, our neighbor she had I guess her one
of her family members had, you know, worked or knew
somebody from Dodgers, so she reached out. Then I had
(26:03):
several people, like a lot of my friends said, hey,
I reached out to the Dodgers, you know, shared your story,
shared your picture. Because the picture that you're talking.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
About, yes, okay, which we will post it will be
in this if you're watching the podcast, you will see it.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Yes, it is actually a really cool picture. We want
to frame that and put it in our house. But
it's me standing on our driveway and my husband's right
behind me, and the Dodger flag is flying over and
you just see our house just burnt down. And so
the only thing left obviously was the flag. So so anyways,
(26:38):
like they like, you know, they saw they they would
send they sent the picture. So I'm sure like the
Dodgers were like, who is this family?
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Because everyone is telling us about this family.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
Who is this family? And why? You know, But you know,
we have such great friends and family that did that,
and you know, we didn't think anything of it. And
it wasn't until the day before the World Series Game
one and my husband gets a phone call at work
and in fact, it was my husband's boss that was
(27:10):
the one in contact with the Dodgers, and my husband
was like, oh my. He went into the office and
was like, oh my god, am I getting fired?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
This is not the time.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Not the time.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So he gets into the office and you know, his
boss is like, oh, he's right here, and they're like, Hi,
it's you know, so and so from the Dodgers, and
we'd like to invite you and your family to Game
one to the World Series, and we my husband, he's
an emotional guy. He's probably gonna get mad at me
(27:42):
for telling everybody in the world that he is, but
he is the most sensitive. But when he found out,
I mean, he was just just brought to tears, and
because there was so much that we had gone through
Engish Yes, and then that moment was just such a
happy moment. So he calls me and I can tell
(28:02):
he'd been crying, and I was like, and I was like,
are you okay, Like, please don't tell me you got fired.
And he's like no, He's like, he's like, oh my god.
He explains the story and then I started crying and
I'm here at the office. I come out of one
of the conference rooms and I'm like, I'm going to
the World too. I swear she was a camera. Everyone's
(28:29):
like yeah. I was so excited. So we were able
to go to Game one. That's when Freddie Freeman, i know,
had the Grand Slam Tan Thanny to win it. It
was like, I mean, if there wasn't a game, I mean, I.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Was so happy that again was going sideways for a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Was it was. But the whole time we were there,
We're just like, oh my gosh, this is cool because
I never thought in a million years I'd be able
to go to the World Series. I mean, I get it,
people invest for the World Series and all that, but
you know, I was like not yeah, thinking about that,
you can have a house. There's no way we're going
to the World Series. Okay, Yes, So it was. It
(29:14):
was a really fun and beautiful experience and they were
just really you know, seats were good.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
That's awesome. Yeah, I know I saw.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
Yeah. I was so grateful. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
And I was able to record the time, like when
the Grand Slam happened. I don't know why, I just.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Started like another intuition thing.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
Yeah, and I was, oh my god. So we watched
that over and over.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
I love that. Yeah, Oh it's the coolest. I know,
everybody's losing their mind and I know it's the best.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I love that story though, because it really is another
piece of good. It's another piece of how good people
are and how good organizations are as well. And there's
a lot of organizations right now with the LA Fires
doing amazing yes work, and you know you were talking
about the people coming up to you and hugging you
and crying you didn't know them and bringing the bags
(30:04):
of you know, clothes. I volunteered at the La Dream
Center and I was overwhelmed with first of all, the
amount of volunteers there just working away. Everyone was so sweet,
in the most positive of spirits, knowing they're doing good
(30:27):
that day, knowing they're helping people. And the line of
people coming in with their cars loaded already with their
things because whatever they could get out of their house
barely any room to put things that were trying to
give them. But you know, it was just the spirit
of humanity. And that's the stuff that we maybe all
needed to be reminded about a little bit, because we
(30:47):
do we were in a weird time, I mean since COVID.
I would say, like things have been negative, I mean
just and that's our children growing up like this. So
I would even say to somebody listening now, like if
you can take your children to go volunteer for things
like this, yes, you will teach them so much. The
(31:08):
value of volunteering is ridiculous. It's giving of yourself, yes,
and you won't you don't know what you're doing it,
but you get back ten times the amount that you give,
just in your heart and how you feel fully.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Agree with that. And we and I took my younger
son to right in like in December, we wrapped some
gifts for with our church, you know, for the needy,
and like and I we've always it always told, you know,
had our kids like understand, hey, you know what you're blessed?
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Yeah, are other there's kids out there that don't have
what you have. And and then now the fire had happened,
and we saw humanity and saw how people just came
to us and helped us in a time of need.
It's time to give it back it is, you know,
And that's what drives me now to help anybody I
(31:59):
can for the victims. Yeah, the LA fires.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I mean it's you were on the first person to
come over to me and go, here's a list. I
have a list of the items that they're gonna need have.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
I loved it. I was like, oh my gosh, thank you. Yes,
I'll talk about this on the radio. Here's what you
need to do first. If you've lost your house, call
this person. Do this.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
Here is who you're gonna need to watch out for
their scammers, don't you you know?
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
I was just like yeah, I mean you knew, you
knew the drill, you had been through it.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Yeah, and so you saw that.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
And I thank you so much for doing all of
that and letting your story be told because it does
help other people when they hear these stories.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
I want to.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I know you've been through these circumstances. You and your
family seemed determined to move on and just create new
and more memories. I know you adopted a new puppy
and I love it.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
And wait, you have to tell everybody your puppy's name.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Of course, her name is Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Dodge.
I love it so cute. She is a feisy little
I love her. She's but she's just she's a baby.
Oh yes, she and so she just likes to test
us like any toddler does. And so sometimes we're like,
oh my god, Brooklyn. She's like I'm at your shoe
(33:16):
and putting in her mouth and like staring.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
At reminding you, hey, you got a new puppy.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
I'm like, I'm way past this stage. Okay, my kids
are way older. I do not need another baby.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I love that. What do you I mean?
Speaker 1 (33:29):
I think I know this answer, But what do you
feel motivates you to keep moving forward?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
My kids? I mean that was the first thing, you know.
I truly believe that it's okay to be vulnerable in
front of your kids, especially in a time of tragedy,
because they're going through it too, and they need to
see you know that that side of you sometimes And
(33:57):
but there comes a point where they don't have to
know every little thing that's happening behind the scenes. Okay,
Like it's just kind of like a need a need
to know basis right. You talk to your kids, make
sure that you know you're asking him how they're feeling.
I think a lot of people may not remember that
the kids have the feeling you know, that are going
through this, especially in LA. They've lost their schools, they've
(34:19):
lost your not with their friends, they've lost their bedrooms.
As a kid, that is everything that's their world. And
I looked at you know, Jayce, he was not He's
nine and he lost everything in his whole world and
his dogs too on top of it. So like we
sometimes were, we're just like thinking, oh my gosh, like
(34:40):
what am I going to do with the house? How
am I going to rebuild? And then we forget about
our kids.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, yeah, And.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
It is so important to talk to them about it
after and.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
So and make sure they feel safe, yes, right right, And.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
I wanted I want to just put one foot in
front of the other for them because they're in a
you know, in a place where they they're like maybe
they feel safe. We're obviously they don't have a home,
we don't have a dwelling over us, like, so our
kids look to us as parents for that safety, you know.
And if you show too much where you're just like
(35:14):
you know, breaking down and on the floor and you're
in bed and and and your kids are like, oh
my gosh, I feel what is going on with my mom?
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Is feeling like that? Should I be feeling like that? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (35:26):
And so then so you just kind of have to
just you know, communicate with them, keep a constant, you know,
communication with them. And you know, we we landed up
getting our younger son in therapy.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
It's a good idea.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Yeah, and I think you know, you don't think about that, like, oh,
but at this point, you know, when you're your child
is so young. Our older son he comprehended a lot
of the stuff.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
He could understand, you can.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
Understand what was happening. Yeah, but a younger one, I
mean he's little, he's little. How do you how do
you show your how do you talk? Every day?
Speaker 1 (36:01):
I go home, I'm here, I sleep in this bud,
I do these things and they're all gone.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
They're all gone. So you know, just I would say
I encourage any of the listeners if you know, you
feel like your kid is, you know, maybe feeling unstable
or struggling, Yeah, struggling, just call your your health insurance
and we did with ours, and we were able to
get referrals for a therapist. And he's been in therapy
(36:29):
since and you could see the difference.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Oh thank god.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
It's yeah, he's able to articulate his words more and
show emotion his feelings because it could happen at a
very young age where they could just learn to just
block out everything.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (36:45):
It's like okay, just keep on going.
Speaker 3 (36:48):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Well, and you explained it how you go numb when
trauma happens, right, and they go. If they go numb,
sometimes they don't come out of that because they're so
little and they don't know how to move forward from that.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
We might be able to, you know, shake ourselves out, but.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Yeah, children are children, and they really do take that
from us, like they take all of our cues, you
know what I mean. They if we're acting a certain way,
they're they feel it, they know it.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
So no, I I I commend you. It's got to
be the hardest. Yeah, it's with children and all of that,
I know.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
And that's how to feel for the families out there
in LA and you know, seeing all the news clips
of parents just feeling complete loss and understandably, yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
And they're feeling the devastation of not only their home
and their loss, but they're feeling the devastation for their children, right,
And that's the other part of that, right.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Yeah, it's like you think about it, It's like, why
does this have to happen to me? Like, I work
so hard, I get up every morning. I'm not a bum,
you know, I'm working. I'm doing everything I can to
help my family. And then you're like, man, it just
it does.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
It hit and fire doesn't care, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
And that's the thing, and that's the key is and
really any natural disaster, I mean we could say other
things too.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
There's earthquakes here in California.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
Yeah, that we should also be planning for, you know, right,
And that is why it is so crucial to be prepared.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
Right.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
How is the rebuilding your house going? Are you planning?
Is there a new way you're building your house now.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
Where you're like, Okay, I'm going to build we are
just keeping materials in mind that are not flammable. We
did chop down all our trees. We had some beautiful trees,
but their pine needles were all over our driveway. I mean,
if we got them out, the next day they were
again and there again and piling up on our roof.
(38:48):
So being up there, we just we had to get
rid of those. But right now the debris has been removed,
which is good. But it's been a process. I mean,
it's been six months since since the fire, and it's
just a dirt lot right now, and we're still going
through it with the insurance and the mortgage company and
trying to get you know, the funds released and so
(39:11):
that that takes you know, it puts things on hold.
And but we have designed the house nice, which is fun.
That's the fun part, you know, that's the that's the
lights and and I were just and what I kept
in mind when we were trying to rebuild the house,
(39:31):
you know, get the plans, is what things about the
other house that I loved that I want to bring
into this new house. And a lot of people are like, oh,
are you you're actually rebuilding up there, and I'm like, yeah, yeah,
I don't want to move. I don't want We loved
that area and we loved our neighbors and it.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Just are they all rebuilding too?
Speaker 4 (39:52):
Yes, yep, yep. And that so actually last night I
went to a city council meeting and let the city
council and everyone knows that we were rebuilding, just so
you all know. So you know we are rebuilding. And
you know, they they came up that that day of
the fire and they were like, you know, whatever you need,
(40:15):
you need help, We're here.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
And you know what I'm going to tell you right now.
Don't be afraid ask.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
No, no, that they need Yes.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
I'm like, well no, but I'm and that's what I said.
I'm like you said that, and I'm here now to
tell you that you know, we need we need you
as a community. It's not only about me, oh no, yeah,
and us you know, they're my neighbors are going through
the same thing and we're all in the stage, the
same stage. So once the plans are done and finalized
(40:43):
through the engineer, now the plans get sent to the
city and the city is that going to take? Does
that take? I mean, whose desk doesn't sit up on
for like months without and for us, it's time is money.
I mean, if we don't get paying a mortgage, we're
paying a mortgage and we have the funds coming out
from for the rental, and if we don't build by
(41:06):
a certain amount of time, we're back homeless again. Like
either I mean we'll be able to live with family
or friends or you know, if that happens.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
But are you don't want that?
Speaker 4 (41:19):
We don't. Yeah, So that's why you know, I always say,
if you want something, just go out and get it
and just be vocal about it. Like I said, all
the rest of my neighbors are going through the same thing.
So how about when we put in the plans that
they don't just sit at someone's desk for It's great?
Speaker 1 (41:38):
Good for you because that's important and that is you
standing up for everybody.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
And I love that. That's beautiful and I hope they
heard you and not what can we do?
Speaker 4 (41:48):
I will be there again, exit keeping okay, Thorn, Yes
sweet thorn, Yes, yes, definitely.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
What words of.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Wisdom would you wish to share to those affected by
this recent firestorm?
Speaker 2 (42:04):
I know that's got to be triggering to you. I
know when I saw you, I was like are you okay?
Speaker 1 (42:09):
Because I'm watching this happen and I'm thinking about you
and how it happened to you.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Can you look back and give words of wisdom now?
Speaker 4 (42:18):
I can? You know, I think it's okay to feel.
It's okay to cry, it's okay to feel a sense
of loss. Take some time off. I was able to
do that because I just knew that I could not
get myself to come to focus.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
And are you kidding me? Trying to focus?
Speaker 4 (42:40):
No? Yeah, and just feel the feelings. Because once you
get past the feelings, then you can start, you know,
kind of getting yourself up and start making a plan.
And you got to be patient. You have to be patient.
I mean, I mean, I just keep thinking about you know, La,
and just.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
Like how much you know, how many claims there are
many claims they're going to be.
Speaker 4 (43:05):
How many claims like how many houses are they're available
for to live in? You know, so you just have
to be patient and figure out what's best for your family.
You know, keep your family like that is number one.
How are you going to create a home wherever you're at,
whether you're in a hotel room or whether you're at
(43:26):
you know, staying with relatives or find some type of
normalcy for your kids. Yeah, we put our son in
in winter ball right away. They were in the hustle
and bustle of school, and you know you have to
continue to just give them a routine, give them a routine, yeah,
(43:47):
because they again, you don't want to look not look derailed,
but you don't want to get derailed.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Really well, I think that's a great I think that's
a valid, valid point because when you're a kid again,
going back to the younger mind, it's every year is
so much.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
Bigger to them. You know, when you get older, the
years go by really quickly. When you're younger, a year
is long, very long.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Yeah, And if you derail a year of a child's life,
it feels devastating, even more devastating. So you're so smart
to just get them. Okay, we're going to sign up
for winter ball. We'll be fine. You're going to play ball,
you're going to go to school. We're going to still
do all the things we used to do before.
Speaker 4 (44:27):
Yeah. Yeah, even in our hotel room. I mean we
I went to Target and I got picture frames and
I put them all over the hotel room and we
got a bunch of Dodger stuff. So we had bibble
heads like you know, above the bed, and you know,
we made our space home and no matter where you are,
(44:48):
and we realized, like nothing else matters. I love that,
you know, we're here together. We love. We wish we
would have had our dogs with us too, but they
always live inside us. So always we'll always remember them.
We always learned something. We talk about them all the time,
and we talk about what each dog brought to our
family and and we even my husband got a portrait
(45:12):
made of our dogs and it's it's right by our
front door. So we say hi to them and buy
to them every day. And you know, it's it's it's
hard when you lose something.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Those are your family members, yes, I.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Know, yeah, but all the all the other material stuff, Yeah,
of course I was like, dang, I really like those
shoes that I had. But you know, at the end
of the day, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. The
sentimental stuff. Yeah, it hurts, you know, I can't get
that stuff back. But we always have our memory. And
you know, now we.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
Have digital like everything.
Speaker 4 (45:49):
Take pictures of your kid's work and put them, keep
it on your phone. Idea, idea yeah, just just take
pictures of things that are are sentimental to yeah. Yeah,
and you'll have them it just in case something happens.
You never know.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
Yeah, Okay, final question, I ask everyone three key takeaways
for anyone listening maybe who hasn't been through any the thing,
has been lucky to not go through this kind of devastation.
What are three key takeaways that you would say to
someone listening to the podcast.
Speaker 4 (46:24):
I would say, first, like, life is a blessing. It
really is to be able to wake up every day
and be in a warm bed and have your family
next to you, your husband, and wake up with your kids.
Like and we talked about this earlier about you know,
sometimes we just focus on just.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
The every day, the work, the thing get complaining.
Speaker 4 (46:47):
And this and that. It's like it doesn't matter. After
you go through something like this, you wake up grateful.
You know, you just a grateful mindset, and you know,
it's very easy to to fall into depression and it
could happen. I'm sure it's gonna happen to people. And fine,
(47:12):
lay in bed for you know, a week or whatever
whatever time you need to do to to process, but
you know, just you're gonna be Okay, there is. You've
got a support system around you. And maybe some of
those victims don't have like direct family, but there's a
city that's standing behind them, like and just there's so
(47:32):
many people that are standing there is there's resources out there.
When you're feeling like you don't have anything that go
get your resources. Put your pride aside, because at the
end of the day, you need what they have you.
That's gonna help you rebuild one foot in front of
(47:53):
the other. Every single day people ask me, how do
how are you even laughing? How are you? Because I
find laughter and everything I like that, So I.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Feel like laughing helps me get through anything. Anyway. It's medicine, right.
Speaker 4 (48:09):
It is, it is, And to just make a joke
out of it and just you know, move forward. It's okay,
it's okay, and and just remember that that life is
a blessing and focus on the people around you. And
I would also say, you have a voice. Whatever's happening
right now in those communities, and you know they're talking
(48:32):
about you know, the water shortage and and just so
many things that people are frustrated about. Get ahead of it.
Get ahead of it. Go to your city, stand at
your city council meetings. Talk about that, yea. And and
you will get listened to eventually. Maybe you're not going
to get listened to right away, but you will. And
(48:52):
if you have an army of people behind you that
feel the same way, do it. You know you are
it's okay. So you have a voice. And after if
any of the listeners did lose their house, you know,
I'd say, talk about your story. People relate to your story,
people will learn from you. And and because everyone's story
(49:14):
is unique, everyone's different.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
So I appreciate you so much, and you know I
adore you, and so thank you so much for sharing
your story again and giving all this advice. And my
big takeaway I think too, is just to be prepared. Yeah,
don't don't he don't be caught, you know, because anything
could happened to anyone. It could happen to you, and
(49:38):
it could happen to me, And we need to just
remember to have a plan.
Speaker 4 (49:42):
So absolutely, And I I have like so many lists
of things like to take away. You know, I could
stay here for hours.
Speaker 2 (49:49):
Yeah no, no, I know.
Speaker 1 (49:50):
I have lists that you've sent me and I love them.
Ye'd literally they're going on my friends.
Speaker 4 (49:55):
But I also say, like I'm a woman of faith
and I have always just trust trust in God and
what his plan is. We may not understand or know
why this happened, but one day you will. One day
you'll you'll get it. And there's a purpose here for
every single one of us here on earth. Use that
(50:17):
use that gift that God gave you to just share
with other people and just have faith. You know, at
the end of the day, you're going to be okay.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
I love that, and I think we should just end
on that note at the end of the day. I know,
thank you so much for joining me on.
Speaker 1 (50:36):
I know it's kind of like a last minute let's
see if you want to talk about this.
Speaker 2 (50:39):
This is very pressing right now.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
Happy to do so.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
I really do appreciate you, and I hope that everyone
learned a little bit about from Erica's story and we'll
take that home with them and their families.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
And I'm going to hug my kids.
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Covering Your
Health with Evelyn Erives, presented by I EhP. You know,
when we started this podcast in.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Late twenty twenty three, our intent.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Was really to speak openly and honestly about health related
topics that really mattered the most to you. Right well,
these next two episodes are dedicated to those who have
been affected by the recent firestorm in Los Angeles County
that's really just decimated neighborhoods and businesses, throwing so many
into a realm that it's just really unknown right left
(00:34):
with asking questions how do we build from here?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Our guests today, I'm.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So so excited to have her here. She knows firsthand
after losing her home and a very fast moving fire
in the north end of San Bernardino. She since then
she's my friend. For the record, I could get a
little emotional talking about this. Erica Hernandez is also a
member of my family, the iHeart Family. She works here
(01:02):
in the office with me as well. She's been using
her voice to support those affected by natural disasters. She's
talking to people about rebuilding their lives. What she's learned
the importance of being prepared and how She's just navigating
that new normalcy with her children, which is so inspiring
and I think you're really going.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To love this.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
We're so grateful to have Erica on the podcast today
for this important conversation. But before we get started, please
visit our show notes.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
You can learn how to.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Support those affected by these recent fires. I'm going to
put some links there that you can find. Maybe you
want to donate monetarily if that's the best way for you,
you absolutely can, or maybe you want to volunteer.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
There's a lot of good in that as well.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
You can also follow me on social media at Evelyn
Erivez or in an Empire Health Plan at i EhP
Underscore Healthcare for additional links and helpful resources.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Welcome to Covering your Health, a wellness podcast to covering
all areas of living a healthy and happy lifestyle, from
healthy hearts to understanding health plans and everything in between.
Each episode will provide you with a better understanding of
managing your health, preventative care, and staying on the.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Right path for your family's wellness journey.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The Covering Your Health podcast is presented by i e HP.
Now your host Evelina Revez.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
All Right, well, awesome. I'm so excited to have you here. Erica.
Welcome to the Covering Your Health podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
So I know Erica well, she's part of our iHeart family,
So I do know a little bit of the backstory,
but I want to know more about you. Tell everybody
who you are, tell us about your family and what.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
You do with iHeart.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Well, I am a mother of two boys. So I
have a nine year old and a seventeen year old.
My seventeen year old is about to graduate high school,
which is so so emotional for me. It's been an
emotional year already, you know, my God for that. So
and then have my husband, Justin, and we did have
(03:06):
our three dogs. They're still part of my family and
my heart and I work here at our Heart as
an account executive. I oh, we're huge Dodger fans. When
I knew that, we are a big baseball family. So
you know we we love the Dodgers, always have and
you know, we were big on animals. We love rescues.
(03:31):
Our three dogs were rescue dogs, and you know we
just want to take them all in. Yeah, if we could.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
I have a friend who we joke around to call
her the dog hoarder because she's the same way that is.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
My that's my husband. I'm like, you cannot just he
cannot see astray out on the street or else. He's
going to bring it help and I'm like, justin, we.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Can't keep doing this.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
I can't take all the dogs. I'd love to, but
I can't.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, that's dogs play a very big part of your
story that we're going to share right now, So let's
just get into it. So, there's a lot of people
that have been affected by fires here in California over
the last month. I want to talk about your particular
story that happened back in August when your life was
uprooted with the Edge Hill fire. Tell me tell me
(04:20):
about that. What was your experience through that.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Tell me about that day.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Well, it's definitely a day I'll never forget it was,
you know. I Mean, the first thing that comes to
mind is, you know, we we just weren't prepared, and
you know that that's what really just drives me to
share my story because you know, we we bought our
first house in twenty twenty one, and we you know,
(04:47):
live We found a beautiful home in the hillside, beautiful view,
and you know, we did think, okay, yeah, we're kind
of in a fire zone. But like you know, we
had talked to our neighbors. They were like, hasn't you know,
we haven't seen that in the area. You know, sometimes
we have little local fires. But that was it, and
so you know, had to get the fire insurance and
all that, and I you know, we just lived life
(05:10):
and just didn't really think about what could happen if
there was a natural disaster just like that. And you know,
I I really feel like sometimes people just don't think like, oh,
it's not gonna it's it's not gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
To me, right exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Well, I mean I think we all think that way sometimes,
like yeah, that happens to other people, that's not gonna
happen to me.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Right yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
And and I and I want to tell everyone that's
listening that it can. It doesn't matter if you live
out on the hillside or even you know, down the valley.
I mean you it will happen. And I remember that
the day after the fire, we had a community meeting,
and you know, the fire chief was like, it's not
(05:52):
if it's going to happen, it's when it's going to happen,
and how are you prepared? What resources are you using
in your community that you can and you know they
can alert you, because we weren't alerted the fire happened.
I think the first nine one one call came in
at two forty in the afternoon, and I didn't even
know until three thirty. My husband called.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
My gosh, almost an hour later.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Almost an hour later, and you know, my husband called
me and he said, you know, our neighbor called. He said,
our street's on the fire, on fire. And I looked
on the ring camera and I could see across the
street that the house was on fire across the street.
Oh my god, and the smoke, and I was like, oh,
my gosh. And to be quite honest, I really didn't
(06:35):
take it serious. And my husband was working, Yeah it
was work. Yeah, I was here, and I was like,
it's probably just like, you know, just a little fire,
and my husband's like, no, you need to get over there.
So as soon as I hopped on the freeway, I
could see this just big plume of smoke and I
knew it was from where our area was. And then
it's closer I got. I mean, just my heart just
(06:57):
dropped I just could not get there quick enough, and
it was traffic and I was just you know, crying,
and I kept looking at the ring camera even though
I was driving. I probably shouldn't have been doing that, but
I kept looking to try to get updates, you know.
And then I got up there, and by that time
it was just too late. I mean that the sky
was literally like black, and you know, the first responders
(07:20):
like they would not let me through. And the first
thing I said was let me go get my dogs please,
Like can I can I please get my dogs? They're
trapped inside and and he was like, I'm sorry, you
can't come up here. So I was like fumbling trying
to look for my keys, couldn't find him. I found
my garage opener, gave it to the first responder and
I said, can you just open up the garage maybe
(07:41):
somebody and maybe he'll one of them come out. They'll
come out, and you know, unfortunately it was it was
too late. And I just never want anybody to have
to feel that pain, build that pain, you know, and
just take it serious, because you know, be prepared.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I remember, are you telling me?
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Well?
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I remember that day very very clearly, because it was
traumatizing for everybody here to see you go through that
and to watch it. We were watching the news. I
was like, oh my god, this is not real. Is
this real? Our coworker, like this is actually happened to
somebody we know, you know, it's weird like that. And
I remember you telling me about that day how your
son was going to be home.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Oh yeah, we hadn't even started school yet.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
It was the first day of school, and my younger
son it was his first day, and then my older
son he didn't start till Wednesday. So the fire happened
on Monday, so it didn't start he didn't start to Wednesday.
But something told me the night before I told him,
why don't you just go to Grandma's, Go go to
my mom's, you know, I said, just go visit her.
I mean, why do you want to be Why do
you want to be here all by yourself? You know?
(08:47):
And then the kids had been there at the house,
you know.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
By themselves every day because they're older, I know.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Yeah, And so how did it happen? I always think, well,
what if it happened the monday before and they were
home and they had to deal with that, and you
know what if Jacob, you know, was you know, my
which my older son. What if he was home that
day and he was, you know, taking a nap, or
he was in the shower, or he had his headphones
on and yeah, you know, and what if he was
(09:15):
trying to rescue the dogs and you know, you just
don't know and the fire started on their side of
the like where their rooms are, so and I don't know.
You know, as mom, sometimes you have this discernment that
that something that tells you to to do or say something.
And that's what I did with my older son and
we all left that morning, and we said goodbye to
(09:36):
the dogs, We did our normal routine, went to work,
and came home to a house that was just burnt
in ashes.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Just so thank you so much for sharing that.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
I know, I feel like is it therapeutic for you
to talk about it now with people?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Is do you feel like it's easier.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Not easier to talk about Yeah, I get choked up too,
but is it like a little bit more like therapeutic
for you to be like, this is what happened through
through that day and what what makes you feel good
about that? Do you feel like you're sharing information with
people when you do that to teach people.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
It is, it's really healing. I mean, I mean, I
you know, part of me was really quiet about it
at first because I just, you know, I just like
I didn't want to be that person like, oh my gosh, okay,
she's you know, there's a fire, she had a fire
in her house and she lost you know, I don't know,
I just I know, I just felt.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Like I didn't want you, didn't want people to feel
like you were.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
That's exactly. And I don't know, crazy me thinking something.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I sort of think that's like a woman thing too,
Like we kind of we don't want to be a bother, yeah, right.
We don't want people to like no, no, no, we're fine,
We're fine. Yes, you don't want to do that, right.
And I think that's just a natural instinct sometimes that
we have to teach ourselves to get out of, right
because it's okay, right.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
And it's a pride thing too, you know, especially with
when we had got donations, it was really really hard
for us.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Oh somebody somebody made a GoFundMe for you.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Yeah, and my girlfriends did it right away that day,
and it was just and I'm like, I don't know,
you know, you just don't know, and then people are
just wanting to help, and you're just overwhelmed and it's like,
you know, you don't have anything, right, you just have
just the clothes on your back, and people are here
reaching out to help you.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
And people you don't know, probably.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Right, strangers. I had no idea. And of course, because
the news was up there and they interviewed me, of
course they got me right when I'm like walking into
my on my driveway and like watching my house like
still smoking up, you know, and there the firemen are
still trying to get the hot spots and I'm just
like in shock, you know. So of course the camera's
(11:48):
caught that.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah, and it touches people.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I mean, it really it resonates because people realize, oh
my god, what if that?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
What would I do if I were in that situation?
Speaker 1 (11:58):
They put themselves in that situation, and then all the
instant thing is how do we do something?
Speaker 2 (12:02):
How do we do something?
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah, I'll give money, you know, they're gonna need it,
They're gonna.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Need and I'm like, no, like let me, let me
get you food. And we're like, oh, we're okay, but
like we.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Need it, but actually we're not.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
But we're not. Here's a toothbrush, okay, but I can
go buy one, but no, okay, I'll take it. You know,
it's it's it's really hard. So going back to your question,
you know about just what you know, sharing my story
it is healing and it is therapeutic because you know,
people want to like they relate with you. You know,
(12:38):
there's dog owners out there, homeowners, people with children, people
that go to work every day and it's the same
hustle that everybody does and for it to happen to
somebody like and I've gotten a lot of my friends
and people that have come up to me and been like,
I have never met anybody who's their house burnt down right.
(13:00):
It's like, you know, if you would think it would
be like more common here in California, but I feel
like it's getting more.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Common well now right now, all of a sudden, it
feels like I know five people, right, but no, it
was uncommon. You were the first person I knew that that.
I think I knew one person who would happened when
they were a kid.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Like years and years ago. Yeah, you know, you were the.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
First person I ever met that actually had their house
burned down, and I was like, oh my god, it's shocking.
It's so shocking, and it's still shocking even with these
whole neighborhoods decimated. You your neighborhood was how many houses burned?
Speaker 4 (13:33):
There was five total, five of your houses.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Yeah, so that is I mean, it's still devastating to
your neighborhood. You know, that is everyone now having to
rebuild and figure this out. So let's let's start with that.
Where are you at with that process? What steps did
you have to start taking to rebuild?
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Well, well, first we had I mean we were in shock,
of course, yeah, of course. So after kind of I
mean the next day, we're like, okay, we we got
to get to business. You know, as much as you
want to sit there and cry and stay in bed,
it's like, okay, what steps do we need to do
to get us back on our call?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Like, what's the first phone call?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
Right? Your first first phone call is your your fire insurance.
You know. Unfortunately our fire insurance dropped us January first
of last year, and my husband was looking for almost
four months for a new insurance because nobody would take
us here in California.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
You guys went four months without insurance.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Yes, yes, my god, we got our insurance and five
months later the house burnt down, which is just I mean,
I look back and I'm like, oh my god, thank god,
Yes that didn't happen. What if that happened last year
at this time, like we would have been without insurance
like all those residents out there in La I mean,
and these insurances they just I mean, they gave us
(14:54):
a notice. They said, you know, they sent us a
notice in December and said, hey, January first, you'll no
longer be with and we're moving out of state. So yeah,
so but luckily we did find a good insurance. And
I think a lot of people don't understand too, Like
everybody is like, oh, the insurance is so you know, terrible,
and they just don't want to give you the money.
(15:15):
In my experience and what what we're dealing with, our
insurance has been very good.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
That's great.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
We've had we have a great agent and he's willing
to help us out. I will tell you, it is tedious.
There's a lot of paperwork you gotta I mean, we're
still working on our personal property form. You have to
write down every little thing that you had in your house,
Like I mean, you can even like claim a pen.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Or a plate, any plates that I have candel, I.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
Mean, just the most random things. And sometimes you're like
I don't really want to put that on there, but
you have to meet there like what like what you
qualified for like through the insurance, so like you have
to get up to not remember everything and you had
and so they said to go back onto your pictures
and your videos and just like see what you had
(16:08):
in your house, which you can remember, and it's a lot.
So yeah, So definitely the insurance you got to you
gotta call them and put in your claim, and then
your mortgage company you got to notify them about that.
Some mortgage companies are open to deferring your your mortgage
(16:28):
for a few months. Unfortunately we didn't have that option,
but we are in the process of still trying to
fight to get that.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
So because you're paying a mortgage, paying a mortgage and
right now, because I know it's not built, your home
is not built yet, but you guys are living in
temporary housing, okay, Yeah, and you're having to pay for that.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
Yeah, so that is also part of the insurance. So
good with our insurance is like there's like three pots.
There's one for personal property, one for the spensive living,
which is you know, us getting into the hotel or
a rental, and then there's the other one for the dwelling,
which is to be able to rebuild. So we were
(17:10):
able to. We had that, and I will say, I
mean my husband, thank god, he put we have hazard.
He added hazard to the insurance. Had we not, we
probably wouldn't have gotten so blessed and lucky to day
right away. So the insurance stepped in, got a company
(17:32):
to help us find a hotel, which we moved into
a few days later after the fire, and we lived
in the hotel for three months. And at first, yeah,
I know, at first you're like, ooh, these pillows are nice,
like and then comforter, this bed's comfy. I could do this,
you know, housekeeping, Oh this is cool. You know what
(17:56):
contin whatever is bringing.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
The joy in that moment, I'm here for it, because
after all the laws and the heartbreak, yeah, take it right, right.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
But then a few months later that gets I'm sure
a month later got old.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Oh my gosh. By the end of the three months,
I mean we were just right about to.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Yeah, we're all living together a lot closer than you were.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
Yeah, And it was one bedroom and then my older
son slept on the couch like the pool out bed,
and we're jumping over each other in the morning trying
to get in one bathroom. You guys, can you understand
I was in it chering a bathroom with three boys
and I say three boys, well, my two boys and
my husband. Yes, So I mean I was like, oh
(18:36):
my gosh, get me out of.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Here so hard.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Yeah. So we were able to find the rental, which
is essentrally located to school and work and nice and yeah,
so it's been it's been good. That part has been
nice to have some type of normalcy.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
But I want people to know too, it's like that
process doesn't happen overnight. Yeah, it takes time. I mean,
think about it. We were there for three months in
a hotel looking for a home, and I can't imagine
like the competition now out in La Oh. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And that's all we keep hearing is those stories are
just it's ridiculous.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
It's almost like maybe they have to even move out
of state or move out.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Of the area or completely out of the area to
find something to find. So what important documents do you
wish you had on you when I know that day
you were shocked in everything. What would you tell someone
never experienced this situation? What sort of documents do you
wish you had? Maybe in a fire safe or like
something like that.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Definitely a fireproof safe.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yeah, we didn't have one.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
We had an area where we had all our part documents,
you know, social Security card, passports. We just got our passports,
Oh my gosh, yeah, after going through that podcast. You
know that takes like months. So we had just received
them in the different like not even a few weeks later. So,
but I mean, we didn't have a fireproof safe. And
(19:58):
you know, I've always well what I've heard from a
lot of like the fire chiefs and stuff like that,
to keep it in a place that you know that
you can just go and get it right away, even
like maybe somewhere like near the door or you know,
just like so, and also like having a list of
things like in case in an emergency on your refrigerator
(20:20):
to just you know, because I've been hearing a lot
of the evacuees that like they just blanked out, had
no idea what to bring. They were like, uh, oh.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
My gosh, that's I get.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
The number one thing I've been hearing too is everyone
says their mind goes blank and they can't think about anything.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
It's panic mode, it really is.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
It is. And that's why I couldn't find my keys
when I got there. I mean they were right there
next to me, but I could not get them. I
found my garage opener instead. But you know, you just
are in this state of mind that you're you're trying
to survive, You're trying to process what's going on, and
you're like trying to think, like okay, business wise, okay,
what do I need? All right? Everybody always thinks about
(21:02):
the important documents too, but you know there's some things
that you know that maybe people wish they would have
gotten and they didn't, like special sentimental items like from
you know, late parents or grandparents or family things that
you know. My husband and I had my father in
law's he he he had a flag that because he served,
(21:28):
yeah so and he it was put in a little
box and that was my father in law passed away
almost five years ago, a little over five years ago,
and so that was over his coffin and the flag
and they and you know, they had folded it up
real nice for us and it was like a little
glass you know, what do you call the case? And
(21:51):
and it's gone. You know that the kids like their
their paintings when they were younger, and like all their
you know, their school pictures and you know, all that
stuff they just can't replace. So I mean I would say,
just like, have all that in a spot, you know
that if in case of emergency, if you even run out,
(22:13):
what were the things that you want to get? And
make that list and put it on your refrigerator and
you know, yeah, and rehearse with your kids, rechurst with
your kids.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
I love that idea because my son with these fires,
my son has been talking to me a lot more
about it because you know, it's jarring for us as adults,
but kids watching this scene on the news and it's
constant coverage, Yeah, they start questioning like what would we do?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
Right?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
And I'm really grateful that my own kids because I'm like,
I don't know what we would do. Oh my god,
I don't know. But my son's like, what would you take?
You know?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
And he started thinking of that, and I was like,
you know what, you should always have an idea, now, right,
just always have an idea, And we came up with
a mini plan of how to get out of our house.
But our house is all one story, so it's not
overly complicated, and everyone has a window, so you know,
and that was kind of like our thought, like everyone
just bust your window, you know, that's the way it
would happen if it was the middle of the night.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
But a plan is what you got to do, especially
talk to your kids about that.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Make sure your your fire alarms are working working, I
know they can be annoying if the battery runts out
and it seems to always do at the wrong Why
didn't that happen like two o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I don't know, I don't know, I'm right.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
And then you don't have the battery, You're like, dang it,
take it off all night? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (23:36):
How did your community rally around you? I know you
have a really fun story and it's it's heartbreaking, but
a good story. There was one thing left standing at
your house that everybody saw in a picture, and that was.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Our Dodger flag, our beautiful Dodger flag that you know
was blowing in the wind. You know. Yeah, I'm like,
how is that we were able to save it? So
it's actually hanging up in our garage right now, yea,
and we're like we're going to keep that. That's like,
you know, remembrance. But yeah, I mean we and our
(24:14):
neighbors all near the weird Dodger fans. I'm sure they
heard us during the games, and yeah, because we were
quite loud, you know. But and you know, my son
plays baseball. So but as far as like the community
like reach out was just it was overwhelming and just humbling.
(24:35):
I mean, it was the day of the fire. I
mean I had complete strangers and neighbors just hugging me
and crying with me, like full on tears, just crying,
and I don't know who it was. And I was
just bawling. You know.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Yeah, it's humanity, it is.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
And you know, I always say, well, after the fire,
it's like, you know, we all focus on so much
negative and the evil in the world a lot, you know,
and sometimes we get really consumed with that. And and
after this, after a tragedy, you really see the goodness
in people, in humanity and just like you're like, wow,
(25:16):
there there is hope for this world. There's a lot.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
There's far more good in the world.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Yes, I agree. I agree. I mean, like I said,
like strangers were just coming up with like bags of clothes.
Oh you know how what what size your are? Your boys?
One guy came like like that day, like an hour
or two later and brought a big bag of clothes
from for my older son. I mean, people were just like,
(25:42):
you know, just rallying for us, and and and so
in regards to the Dodger you know the experience, I
would say, our neighbor she had I guess her one
of her family members had, you know, worked or knew
somebody from Dodgers, so she reached out. Then I had
(26:03):
several people, like a lot of my friends said, hey,
I reached out to the Dodgers, you know, shared your story,
shared your picture. Because the picture that you're talking.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
About, yes, okay, which we will post it will be
in this if you're watching the podcast, you will see it.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Yes, it is actually a really cool picture. We want
to frame that and put it in our house. But
it's me standing on our driveway and my husband's right
behind me, and the Dodger flag is flying over and
you just see our house just burnt down. And so
the only thing left obviously was the flag. So so anyways,
(26:38):
like they like, you know, they saw they they would
send they sent the picture. So I'm sure like the
Dodgers were like, who is this family?
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Because everyone is telling us about this family.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
Who is this family? And why? You know, But you know,
we have such great friends and family that did that,
and you know, we didn't think anything of it. And
it wasn't until the day before the World Series Game
one and my husband gets a phone call at work
and in fact, it was my husband's boss that was
(27:10):
the one in contact with the Dodgers, and my husband
was like, oh my. He went into the office and
was like, oh my god, am I getting fired?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
This is not the time.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Not the time.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So he gets into the office and you know, his
boss is like, oh, he's right here, and they're like, Hi,
it's you know, so and so from the Dodgers, and
we'd like to invite you and your family to Game
one to the World Series, and we my husband, he's
an emotional guy. He's probably gonna get mad at me
(27:42):
for telling everybody in the world that he is, but
he is the most sensitive. But when he found out,
I mean, he was just just brought to tears, and
because there was so much that we had gone through
Engish Yes, and then that moment was just such a
happy moment. So he calls me and I can tell
(28:02):
he'd been crying, and I was like, and I was like,
are you okay, Like, please don't tell me you got fired.
And he's like no, He's like, he's like, oh my god.
He explains the story and then I started crying and
I'm here at the office. I come out of one
of the conference rooms and I'm like, I'm going to
the World too. I swear she was a camera. Everyone's
(28:29):
like yeah. I was so excited. So we were able
to go to Game one. That's when Freddie Freeman, i know,
had the Grand Slam Tan Thanny to win it. It
was like, I mean, if there wasn't a game, I mean, I.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Was so happy that again was going sideways for a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Was it was. But the whole time we were there,
We're just like, oh my gosh, this is cool because
I never thought in a million years I'd be able
to go to the World Series. I mean, I get it,
people invest for the World Series and all that, but
you know, I was like not yeah, thinking about that,
you can have a house. There's no way we're going
to the World Series. Okay, Yes, So it was. It
(29:14):
was a really fun and beautiful experience and they were
just really you know, seats were good.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
That's awesome. Yeah, I know I saw.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
Yeah. I was so grateful. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
And I was able to record the time, like when
the Grand Slam happened. I don't know why, I just.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Started like another intuition thing.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
Yeah, and I was, oh my god. So we watched
that over and over.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
I love that. Yeah, Oh it's the coolest. I know,
everybody's losing their mind and I know it's the best.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I love that story though, because it really is another
piece of good. It's another piece of how good people
are and how good organizations are as well. And there's
a lot of organizations right now with the LA Fires
doing amazing yes work, and you know you were talking
about the people coming up to you and hugging you
and crying you didn't know them and bringing the bags
(30:04):
of you know, clothes. I volunteered at the La Dream
Center and I was overwhelmed with first of all, the
amount of volunteers there just working away. Everyone was so sweet,
in the most positive of spirits, knowing they're doing good
(30:27):
that day, knowing they're helping people. And the line of
people coming in with their cars loaded already with their
things because whatever they could get out of their house
barely any room to put things that were trying to
give them. But you know, it was just the spirit
of humanity. And that's the stuff that we maybe all
needed to be reminded about a little bit, because we
(30:47):
do we were in a weird time, I mean since COVID.
I would say, like things have been negative, I mean
just and that's our children growing up like this. So
I would even say to somebody listening now, like if
you can take your children to go volunteer for things
like this, yes, you will teach them so much. The
(31:08):
value of volunteering is ridiculous. It's giving of yourself, yes,
and you won't you don't know what you're doing it,
but you get back ten times the amount that you give,
just in your heart and how you feel fully.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Agree with that. And we and I took my younger
son to right in like in December, we wrapped some
gifts for with our church, you know, for the needy,
and like and I we've always it always told, you know,
had our kids like understand, hey, you know what you're blessed?
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Yeah, are other there's kids out there that don't have
what you have. And and then now the fire had happened,
and we saw humanity and saw how people just came
to us and helped us in a time of need.
It's time to give it back it is, you know,
And that's what drives me now to help anybody I
(31:59):
can for the victims. Yeah, the LA fires.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I mean it's you were on the first person to
come over to me and go, here's a list. I
have a list of the items that they're gonna need have.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
I loved it. I was like, oh my gosh, thank you. Yes,
I'll talk about this on the radio. Here's what you
need to do first. If you've lost your house, call
this person. Do this.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
Here is who you're gonna need to watch out for
their scammers, don't you you know?
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
I was just like yeah, I mean you knew, you
knew the drill, you had been through it.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Yeah, and so you saw that.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
And I thank you so much for doing all of
that and letting your story be told because it does
help other people when they hear these stories.
Speaker 2 (32:37):
I want to.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I know you've been through these circumstances. You and your
family seemed determined to move on and just create new
and more memories. I know you adopted a new puppy
and I love it.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
And wait, you have to tell everybody your puppy's name.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Of course, her name is Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Dodge.
I love it so cute. She is a feisy little
I love her. She's but she's just she's a baby.
Oh yes, she and so she just likes to test
us like any toddler does. And so sometimes we're like,
oh my god, Brooklyn. She's like I'm at your shoe
(33:16):
and putting in her mouth and like staring.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
At reminding you, hey, you got a new puppy.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
I'm like, I'm way past this stage. Okay, my kids
are way older. I do not need another baby.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I love that. What do you I mean?
Speaker 1 (33:29):
I think I know this answer, But what do you
feel motivates you to keep moving forward?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
My kids? I mean that was the first thing, you know.
I truly believe that it's okay to be vulnerable in
front of your kids, especially in a time of tragedy,
because they're going through it too, and they need to
see you know that that side of you sometimes And
(33:57):
but there comes a point where they don't have to
know every little thing that's happening behind the scenes. Okay,
Like it's just kind of like a need a need
to know basis right. You talk to your kids, make
sure that you know you're asking him how they're feeling.
I think a lot of people may not remember that
the kids have the feeling you know, that are going
through this, especially in LA. They've lost their schools, they've
(34:19):
lost your not with their friends, they've lost their bedrooms.
As a kid, that is everything that's their world. And
I looked at you know, Jayce, he was not He's
nine and he lost everything in his whole world and
his dogs too on top of it. So like we
sometimes were, we're just like thinking, oh my gosh, like
(34:40):
what am I going to do with the house? How
am I going to rebuild? And then we forget about
our kids.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, yeah, And.
Speaker 4 (34:45):
It is so important to talk to them about it
after and.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
So and make sure they feel safe, yes, right right, And.
Speaker 4 (34:52):
I wanted I want to just put one foot in
front of the other for them because they're in a
you know, in a place where they they're like maybe
they feel safe. We're obviously they don't have a home,
we don't have a dwelling over us, like, so our
kids look to us as parents for that safety, you know.
And if you show too much where you're just like
(35:14):
you know, breaking down and on the floor and you're
in bed and and and your kids are like, oh
my gosh, I feel what is going on with my mom?
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Is feeling like that? Should I be feeling like that? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (35:26):
And so then so you just kind of have to
just you know, communicate with them, keep a constant, you know,
communication with them. And you know, we we landed up
getting our younger son in therapy.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
It's a good idea.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
Yeah, and I think you know, you don't think about that, like, oh,
but at this point, you know, when you're your child
is so young. Our older son he comprehended a lot
of the stuff.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
He could understand, you can.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
Understand what was happening. Yeah, but a younger one, I
mean he's little, he's little. How do you how do
you show your how do you talk? Every day?
Speaker 1 (36:01):
I go home, I'm here, I sleep in this bud,
I do these things and they're all gone.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
They're all gone. So you know, just I would say
I encourage any of the listeners if you know, you
feel like your kid is, you know, maybe feeling unstable
or struggling, Yeah, struggling, just call your your health insurance
and we did with ours, and we were able to
get referrals for a therapist. And he's been in therapy
(36:29):
since and you could see the difference.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Oh thank god.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
It's yeah, he's able to articulate his words more and
show emotion his feelings because it could happen at a
very young age where they could just learn to just
block out everything.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (36:45):
It's like okay, just keep on going.
Speaker 3 (36:48):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Well, and you explained it how you go numb when
trauma happens, right, and they go. If they go numb,
sometimes they don't come out of that because they're so
little and they don't know how to move forward from that.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
We might be able to, you know, shake ourselves out, but.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Yeah, children are children, and they really do take that
from us, like they take all of our cues, you
know what I mean. They if we're acting a certain way,
they're they feel it, they know it.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
So no, I I I commend you. It's got to
be the hardest. Yeah, it's with children and all of that,
I know.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
And that's how to feel for the families out there
in LA and you know, seeing all the news clips
of parents just feeling complete loss and understandably, yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
And they're feeling the devastation of not only their home
and their loss, but they're feeling the devastation for their children, right,
And that's the other part of that, right.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Yeah, it's like you think about it, It's like, why
does this have to happen to me? Like, I work
so hard, I get up every morning. I'm not a bum,
you know, I'm working. I'm doing everything I can to
help my family. And then you're like, man, it just
it does.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
It hit and fire doesn't care, you know.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
And that's the thing, and that's the key is and
really any natural disaster, I mean we could say other
things too.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
There's earthquakes here in California.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
Yeah, that we should also be planning for, you know, right,
And that is why it is so crucial to be prepared.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
Right.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
How is the rebuilding your house going? Are you planning?
Is there a new way you're building your house now.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
Where you're like, Okay, I'm going to build we are
just keeping materials in mind that are not flammable. We
did chop down all our trees. We had some beautiful trees,
but their pine needles were all over our driveway. I mean,
if we got them out, the next day they were
again and there again and piling up on our roof.
(38:48):
So being up there, we just we had to get
rid of those. But right now the debris has been removed,
which is good. But it's been a process. I mean,
it's been six months since since the fire, and it's
just a dirt lot right now, and we're still going
through it with the insurance and the mortgage company and
trying to get you know, the funds released and so
(39:11):
that that takes you know, it puts things on hold.
And but we have designed the house nice, which is fun.
That's the fun part, you know, that's the that's the
lights and and I were just and what I kept
in mind when we were trying to rebuild the house,
(39:31):
you know, get the plans, is what things about the
other house that I loved that I want to bring
into this new house. And a lot of people are like, oh,
are you you're actually rebuilding up there, and I'm like, yeah, yeah,
I don't want to move. I don't want We loved
that area and we loved our neighbors and it.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Just are they all rebuilding too?
Speaker 4 (39:52):
Yes, yep, yep. And that so actually last night I
went to a city council meeting and let the city
council and everyone knows that we were rebuilding, just so
you all know. So you know we are rebuilding. And
you know, they they came up that that day of
the fire and they were like, you know, whatever you need,
(40:15):
you need help, We're here.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
And you know what I'm going to tell you right now.
Don't be afraid ask.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
No, no, that they need Yes.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
I'm like, well no, but I'm and that's what I said.
I'm like you said that, and I'm here now to
tell you that you know, we need we need you
as a community. It's not only about me, oh no, yeah,
and us you know, they're my neighbors are going through
the same thing and we're all in the stage, the
same stage. So once the plans are done and finalized
(40:43):
through the engineer, now the plans get sent to the
city and the city is that going to take? Does
that take? I mean, whose desk doesn't sit up on
for like months without and for us, it's time is money.
I mean, if we don't get paying a mortgage, we're
paying a mortgage and we have the funds coming out
from for the rental, and if we don't build by
(41:06):
a certain amount of time, we're back homeless again. Like
either I mean we'll be able to live with family
or friends or you know, if that happens.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
But are you don't want that?
Speaker 4 (41:19):
We don't. Yeah, So that's why you know, I always say,
if you want something, just go out and get it
and just be vocal about it. Like I said, all
the rest of my neighbors are going through the same thing.
So how about when we put in the plans that
they don't just sit at someone's desk for It's great?
Speaker 1 (41:38):
Good for you because that's important and that is you
standing up for everybody.
Speaker 2 (41:41):
And I love that. That's beautiful and I hope they
heard you and not what can we do?
Speaker 4 (41:48):
I will be there again, exit keeping okay, Thorn, Yes
sweet thorn, Yes, yes, definitely.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
What words of.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Wisdom would you wish to share to those affected by
this recent firestorm?
Speaker 2 (42:04):
I know that's got to be triggering to you. I
know when I saw you, I was like are you okay?
Speaker 1 (42:09):
Because I'm watching this happen and I'm thinking about you
and how it happened to you.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Can you look back and give words of wisdom now?
Speaker 4 (42:18):
I can? You know, I think it's okay to feel.
It's okay to cry, it's okay to feel a sense
of loss. Take some time off. I was able to
do that because I just knew that I could not
get myself to come to focus.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
And are you kidding me? Trying to focus?
Speaker 4 (42:40):
No? Yeah, and just feel the feelings. Because once you
get past the feelings, then you can start, you know,
kind of getting yourself up and start making a plan.
And you got to be patient. You have to be patient.
I mean, I mean, I just keep thinking about you know, La,
and just.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
Like how much you know, how many claims there are
many claims they're going to be.
Speaker 4 (43:05):
How many claims like how many houses are they're available
for to live in? You know, so you just have
to be patient and figure out what's best for your family.
You know, keep your family like that is number one.
How are you going to create a home wherever you're at,
whether you're in a hotel room or whether you're at
(43:26):
you know, staying with relatives or find some type of
normalcy for your kids. Yeah, we put our son in
in winter ball right away. They were in the hustle
and bustle of school, and you know you have to
continue to just give them a routine, give them a routine, yeah,
(43:47):
because they again, you don't want to look not look derailed,
but you don't want to get derailed.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
Really well, I think that's a great I think that's
a valid, valid point because when you're a kid again,
going back to the younger mind, it's every year is
so much.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
Bigger to them. You know, when you get older, the
years go by really quickly. When you're younger, a year
is long, very long.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Yeah, And if you derail a year of a child's life,
it feels devastating, even more devastating. So you're so smart
to just get them. Okay, we're going to sign up
for winter ball. We'll be fine. You're going to play ball,
you're going to go to school. We're going to still
do all the things we used to do before.
Speaker 4 (44:27):
Yeah. Yeah, even in our hotel room. I mean we
I went to Target and I got picture frames and
I put them all over the hotel room and we
got a bunch of Dodger stuff. So we had bibble
heads like you know, above the bed, and you know,
we made our space home and no matter where you are,
(44:48):
and we realized, like nothing else matters. I love that,
you know, we're here together. We love. We wish we
would have had our dogs with us too, but they
always live inside us. So always we'll always remember them.
We always learned something. We talk about them all the time,
and we talk about what each dog brought to our
family and and we even my husband got a portrait
(45:12):
made of our dogs and it's it's right by our
front door. So we say hi to them and buy
to them every day. And you know, it's it's it's
hard when you lose something.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Those are your family members, yes, I.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Know, yeah, but all the all the other material stuff, Yeah,
of course I was like, dang, I really like those
shoes that I had. But you know, at the end
of the day, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. The
sentimental stuff. Yeah, it hurts, you know, I can't get
that stuff back. But we always have our memory. And
you know, now we.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
Have digital like everything.
Speaker 4 (45:49):
Take pictures of your kid's work and put them, keep
it on your phone. Idea, idea yeah, just just take
pictures of things that are are sentimental to yeah. Yeah,
and you'll have them it just in case something happens.
You never know.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
Yeah, Okay, final question, I ask everyone three key takeaways
for anyone listening maybe who hasn't been through any the thing,
has been lucky to not go through this kind of devastation.
What are three key takeaways that you would say to
someone listening to the podcast.
Speaker 4 (46:24):
I would say, first, like, life is a blessing. It
really is to be able to wake up every day
and be in a warm bed and have your family
next to you, your husband, and wake up with your kids.
Like and we talked about this earlier about you know,
sometimes we just focus on just.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
The every day, the work, the thing get complaining.
Speaker 4 (46:47):
And this and that. It's like it doesn't matter. After
you go through something like this, you wake up grateful.
You know, you just a grateful mindset, and you know,
it's very easy to to fall into depression and it
could happen. I'm sure it's gonna happen to people. And fine,
(47:12):
lay in bed for you know, a week or whatever
whatever time you need to do to to process, but
you know, just you're gonna be Okay, there is. You've
got a support system around you. And maybe some of
those victims don't have like direct family, but there's a
city that's standing behind them, like and just there's so
(47:32):
many people that are standing there is there's resources out there.
When you're feeling like you don't have anything that go
get your resources. Put your pride aside, because at the
end of the day, you need what they have you.
That's gonna help you rebuild one foot in front of
(47:53):
the other. Every single day people ask me, how do
how are you even laughing? How are you? Because I
find laughter and everything I like that, So I.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Feel like laughing helps me get through anything. Anyway. It's medicine, right.
Speaker 4 (48:09):
It is, it is, And to just make a joke
out of it and just you know, move forward. It's okay,
it's okay, and and just remember that that life is
a blessing and focus on the people around you. And
I would also say, you have a voice. Whatever's happening
right now in those communities, and you know they're talking
(48:32):
about you know, the water shortage and and just so
many things that people are frustrated about. Get ahead of it.
Get ahead of it. Go to your city, stand at
your city council meetings. Talk about that, yea. And and
you will get listened to eventually. Maybe you're not going
to get listened to right away, but you will. And
(48:52):
if you have an army of people behind you that
feel the same way, do it. You know you are
it's okay. So you have a voice. And after if
any of the listeners did lose their house, you know,
I'd say, talk about your story. People relate to your story,
people will learn from you. And and because everyone's story
(49:14):
is unique, everyone's different.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
So I appreciate you so much, and you know I
adore you, and so thank you so much for sharing
your story again and giving all this advice. And my
big takeaway I think too, is just to be prepared. Yeah,
don't don't he don't be caught, you know, because anything
could happened to anyone. It could happen to you, and
(49:38):
it could happen to me, And we need to just
remember to have a plan.
Speaker 4 (49:42):
So absolutely, And I I have like so many lists
of things like to take away. You know, I could
stay here for hours.
Speaker 2 (49:49):
Yeah no, no, I know.
Speaker 1 (49:50):
I have lists that you've sent me and I love them.
Ye'd literally they're going on my friends.
Speaker 4 (49:55):
But I also say, like I'm a woman of faith
and I have always just trust trust in God and
what his plan is. We may not understand or know
why this happened, but one day you will. One day
you'll you'll get it. And there's a purpose here for
every single one of us here on earth. Use that
(50:17):
use that gift that God gave you to just share
with other people and just have faith. You know, at
the end of the day, you're going to be okay.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
I love that, and I think we should just end
on that note at the end of the day. I know,
thank you so much for joining me on.
Speaker 1 (50:36):
I know it's kind of like a last minute let's
see if you want to talk about this.
Speaker 2 (50:39):
This is very pressing right now.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
Happy to do so.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
I really do appreciate you, and I hope that everyone
learned a little bit about from Erica's story and we'll
take that home with them and their families.
Speaker 2 (50:51):
And I'm going to hug my kids.
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