The impacts of the 2020 Almeda Fire still echo through the small towns of Phoenix and Talent, OR, when 2,300 homes were destroyed in a wind-driven wildfire.
Caryn Wheeler-Clay with the Jackson County Community Long-Term Recovery Group says her team couldn鈥檛 stop talking about an early morning thunder and lightning storm on Wednesday, during the driest part of the summer.
"My response was that I sat up straight and screamed 'No!'" she says. "Emotions for all of us are very heightened right now."
To help community members come together, share stories and connect with resources, a series of free community-building events are planned in the Rogue Valley over the next couple of weekends.
Wheeler-Clay says with two years of a pandemic, community members haven't had a chance to celebrate the anniversary since the fire.
鈥淭his is the first time in this entire recovery that we鈥檝e been able to convene the community back together," she says. "It鈥檚 about connection, it鈥檚 about the opportunity to reflect on how far we鈥檝e come, and how far we still have to go.鈥�
Over the next two weekends, organizations including Unete Center for Farm Worker Advocacy, El Tapatio, Rogue Action Center and Rogue Climate, the Firebrand Resiliency Collective and the City of Phoenix , starting on Thursday with a reflection space hosted by the 1st Phoenix Presbyterian Church.
Wheeler-Clay says these events are intended to create space for community members to reflect on the fires, access long-term recovery resources and take part in fun activities for kids and families.
She says as of June, over 350 households were still getting recovery help through her organization.
