Family hit by Calif. wildfires begins to rebuild

RAMONA, Calif. -- Nichole Booth's hands were stained with ash from picking through the blackened and twisted pieces left of her life after an inferno engulfed everything she owned.

She tried not to cry in front of her four children. But in the few moments she can steal away, the tears spill down her cheeks.

Like so many others, Booth took the first steps toward rebuilding her life Monday, a week after a firestorm destroyed her San Diego County home and business.

"I feel ashamed. I've never had to ask for help. I don't know what to say to people," Booth says, her voice dropping to a whisper.

The wildfires, which destroyed more than 2,000 homes, continued to burn Monday. With more than a dozen blazes fully surrounded, firefighters were trying to gain control of six others that were at least half contained. The flames have killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from the Mexican border to Los Angeles.

Brandi Aurelio, from left, her son Kaleb, 4, mother Janet Knecht and sister Katie Knecht look over the remains of their home in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

In the weeks ahead, the Booths and hundreds of other families who lost their homes will be at the mercy of the federal government for grants, loans and other assistance.

Some help can be offered quickly, but larger decisions about the future will take weeks, and be decided by federal workers shuffling mountains of loan applications in Fort Worth, Texas, and suburban Maryland.

A week ago, the Booths ran for their lives, carrying only the essentials: a change of clothes for the children, and oxygen tanks, a wheelchair and medication for a daughter paralyzed by brain tumors who survives on life support. The fire swallowed their house before their eyes as they pulled out of the driveway.

It isn't just the Booths' house and all their belongings that were destroyed. Their business, Booth's Pump and Crane Service, also burned and so did all of the equipment.

To restart their business, the Booths will have to apply for hefty loans to purchase new equipment and cover their lost income.

Nichole Booth sat with her daughter Alexis, 15, Monday at her father's house in Ramona, Calif. Booth's house was destroyed by last week's wildfires. Booth, like so many, was taking her first steps toward trying to put her life back together a week after a firestorm burned through her northern San Diego County home.Rick BowmerAssociated Press

One of the biggest challenges is showing proof when important paperwork went up in flames.

Business owners can apply for up to $1.5 million in loans from the Small Business Administration, which come with a 4 percent interest rate. The agency aims to approve loans within two weeks of receiving applications, said spokesman Phil Duncan.

The Booths have filled out their FEMA paperwork. They've talked to the SBA. They have an appointment with the Red Cross.

And still, Nichole Booth says days later, she doesn't know what to do.

"They told me this was just the beginning process. What does that mean? What do we do in the meantime?" asked, her cheeks smudged from wiping tears with ash-stained hands. "I just wish somebody would tell me it's going to be all right."