On a hot August Saturday afternoon in southern Oregon, community members trickled into Phoenix High School's auditorium. Some brought their children and stopped to grab a free lunch of enchiladas and watermelon juice from Rogue Food Unites before taking their seats at a cluster of round tables. They talked as they ate, enjoying the sun that filtered through the large windows.

David and Linda Kling lived in a two-bedroom home they'd owned for just shy of 18 years. That's where they were when they heard the news broadcast about a fire in the canyon. They gathered a few items for themselves and their pets. At 9:20 p.m., they fled.
 
"What was normally a 20-minute drive took us five hours," Linda says. "Everyone was evacuating." When they returned home weeks later, there was nothing left. David could smell the melted vinyl from his record collection. His recording equipment was charred beyond recognition.
 

David and Linda Kling lived in a two-bedroom home they'd owned for just shy of 18 years. That's where they were when they heard the news broadcast about a fire in the canyon. They gathered a few items for themselves and their pets. At 9:20 p.m., they fled.
 
"What was normally a 20-minute drive took us five hours," Linda says. "Everyone was evacuating." When they returned home weeks later, there was nothing left. David could smell the melted vinyl from his record collection. His recording equipment was charred beyond recognition.
 

September is National Preparedness Month, a time to prepare for disasters or emergencies that could happen at any time. Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) is spending the month putting the finishing touches on a new loan program that will help families prepare their properties for emergencies, says Juan Carlos Gordillo, marketing and communications manager for the NeighborWorks network organization.

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