Niland seniors forced from homes after county shuts off RV park power

NILAND, Calif. (KYMA) - Home is no longer a refuge for dozens of vulnerable low-income seniors at the Lark Spa Mobile Home & RV Park.

Instead, their trailers have been transformed into dangerous ovens after Imperial County Code Enforcement forced a total power shutdown during an extreme summer heatwave.

Vulnerable residents, disabled neighbors, and their pets have been left stranded in triple-digit desert heat since the electricity was cut off early Monday morning.

The crisis has forced many to completely abandon their homes, beds, and private restrooms just to survive.

The emergency sprouted from a long-standing issue with a main electrical infrastructure line on the property, which park management had failed to permanently repair for years.

In an attempt to solve the issue temporarily and keep the cooling systems running through the blistering weather, an electrician laid a high-power bypass line along the ground, heavily barricaded it off for safety.

However, local officials flagged the private repair during an inspection. The county declared the site a "Code Red" compliance violation, citing management for lacking a permit and burying the trench exactly one inch too shallow under California Title 25 requirements.

Despite an active Extreme Heat Warning, county officials rejected requests for an emergency safety compromise or a conditional variance, enforcing a rigid five-day deadline that forced a total blackout.

When reached for comment regarding the situation, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) clarified that they are not responsible for the current outage.

According to an IID spokesperson, the facility operates on a master meter, meaning the utility company is only in charge of billing these customers as a single entity.

The utility confirmed they have no reported outages in the broader Niland area. IID stated that this setup is typical for RV parks, emphasizing that the owner of the RV park is solely in charge of supplying power to the residents, and IID is not responsible for them losing electricity.

An emergency request remains tied up in the permitting phase. Because progress is expected to stall through the weekend, vulnerable residents face the reality of surviving several more days in scorching conditions without air conditioning. 

In an effort to get answers for the displaced residents, we reached out directly to Imperial County District 4 Supervisor Ryan Kelley, whose district includes the Niland area.

We also submitted a formal comment request to Imperial County administration and Code Enforcement officials. As of publication time, we have not received a response from Supervisor Kelley or the county.

With air conditioners knocked offline, frail and disabled elderly residents are now crowding inside a single on-site recreation room to escape the scorching sun. However, the makeshift shelter lacks indoor toilets or working showers.

"Imagine having no access to your personal effects," said park resident Seth True. "Not being able to watch your movies, your streaming services. Not being able to go to the bathroom in your bathroom or take a shower when you want to."

At night, the situation grows increasingly treacherous. Without electricity, residents are forced to step outside into pitch-black conditions just to use the facility's exterior restrooms.

"So at night you have to come outside, walk through the dark...there's snakes, tarantulas, there's camel spiders," True shared. "Even attempting to wash away the day's sweat offers no refuge, as the lack of climate control leaves the community showers sweltering like steam rooms...just feel how hot it is in there, you know... no air conditioning."

Those who can afford to stay inside their homes are forced to burn through $50 to $75 a day on generator fuel just to keep simple fans spinning.

Park management reportedly reached out to various emergency relief agencies, including the American Red Cross, but official outside relief has failed to arrive.

According to residents, the only guidance received from local agencies was a written notification suggesting they surrender their companion pets to the Humane Society and keep their groceries and medication chilled on ice.

"Well, the closest ice is in Niland," True explained. "So it's a 12-mile drive in 100+ degree heat."

With the official system leaving them completely in the dark, community compassion has become the only real light left shining at the park. Neighbors are actively looking out for one another to make sure no one succumbs to heat-related illness. 

"People have been coming down and talking to everybody and offering them to come over and have dinner, or come watch some TV at night to go off and talk," True said. "They're trying to help."

While county representatives have not responded to our questions, code enforcement documents indicate officials maintain the strict power cutoff was legally necessary to completely eliminate an immediate electrical fire hazard.

"I would like to see somebody from the county come up here and stay one day," True emphasized. "I would like them to go have to be in there from the time they wake up and stay there on a night on one of those beds."