Residents of troubled Oasis Mobile Home Park now dealing with power failures amid high temperatures
For three years, the residents at the Oasis Mobile Home Park in the east valley have been without clean water. On multiple occasions, the EPA has found high levels of arsenic in the park's water system.
The issue continues to this day, but now some of the park's residents are dealing with another major issue on top of being without water, no electricity.
Residents say for several days now, power failures have forced them to endure the hot weather of the desert without air conditioning.
Cecilia Hernandez told Telemundo 15's Marco Revuelta that she and her family are going through unbearable days.
"It's a desperate thing, for me, for my children," Hernandez said. "Sometimes, when my baby can't take it anymore, she won't stop crying."
Hernandez is one of more than 200 families, or 1,100 people, living in the troubled mobile home park. She says the power outages began last Sunday.
"Since that day they have been shutting down for an hour, half an hour, sometimes for three hours," Hernandez said.
On Wednesday, Hernandez said she spent a total of four hours in the heat wave.
"For me this is an emergency, for these families, I'm not the only one here, my neighbors also have a baby," Hernandez said.
A spokesperson for the Imperial Irrigation District said they are aware of the situation. They add that the failures are in the infrastructure of the site which falls under the responsibility of the RV park managers.
Activists point out that this is a reflection of the discomfort faced by those who live there.
"The problems in the park go far beyond the water. It's the lights, the garbage, the problems with the handlers, there are many more problems in this parking lot and that's why we are asking for the relocation of the Oasis residents as soon as possible," said Omar Gastelum, a member of the Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability.
Riverside County has been working to relocate residents. In June, the Board of Supervisors approved the allocation of $7 million for phase 1 of the Oasis Villas Apartments. The project will create new affordable and safe housing opportunities for families living at Oasis Mobile Home Park and other dilapidated housing in the east valley.
The $7 million for the project comes from a $30 million state grant Riverside County received to provide relocation assistance for the park's residents.
Gastelum said that with temperatures in the triple digits, action needs to be taken urgently.
"We know the effects that being exposed to extreme heat for a long time can have, so that problem has been going on for more than a week and a half now, so we think it's time for someone to take some kind of action," Gastelum said.
Hernandez tells us that there are 15 homes impacted by the power outages.
