Cathedral City mobile home park residents raise power outage safety concerns amid extreme heat

Residents at Caliente Sands Mobile Home Park in Cathedral City are expressing frustration and concern after experiencing multiple power outages this week with little or no prior notice. The sudden blackouts occurred during a period of extreme heat, creating a dangerous situation for the mobile home community.

"It was like 115 outside," said Barbara Cleary. "It was out of nowhere, the power went off."

Cleary said the power outages were a result of a private electric company hired by the management to work on a transformer within the park. She said paper notices were distributed to residents' mailboxes, but the warning given was far from sufficient. "We're supposed to have 72 hours notice, they didn't even come close to doing that," she said. One of the notices had the wrong date listed on it, leading to additional confusion.

Zola Chapman, another resident at Caliente Sands, shared her concerns about the impact of power outages on the community, especially for vulnerable individuals. "Some people are on oxygen and those sleep machines at night and they need to know in advance to make sure that they get the help they need when the electricity goes out," Chapman said.

Despite the power being restored, the residents' frustrations persist. "There's a lack of communication. And this one could have been deadly, in my opinion," Cleary said.

News Channel 3 reached out to the management of Caliente Sands Mobile Home Park and the Michigan-based company Sun Communities which owns the property, but they have not yet responded.