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.

Thomas Yu hadn't planned on a career in community development. But as an immigrant growing up in lower Manhattan, there was something about it that felt right.
 
"My family lived in affordable housing, so that theme runs throughout my life," says Yu, who serves as co-executive director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) with Jennifer Sun. "There's a strong belief in my family that the pathway to security and economic mobility starts with a safe and affordable place to live."
 

A Puerto Rico leadership initiative, sponsored by NeighborWorks America and its partners, is helping leaders tap into larger networks of support to help them in their work managing nonprofits and supporting residents on the island.

In the wake of the historic winter storms that have left large portions of the country blanketed