The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors voted in a special session to declare a local emergency, a step taken to preserve the District’s eligibility for state disaster relief.
Tropical Storm Mario moved into the region beginning the evening of Thursday, September 18, bringing intense winds, heavy rainfall and flooding. The storm created serious risks to public safety and caused substantial damage to IID’s energy infrastructure.
Initial field surveys indicate about 134 power poles—among them transmission structures and associated distribution lines—were damaged. The outages disrupted service for more than 6,970 customers. IID staff are continuing damage assessments and will release a detailed repair timeline once evaluations are complete.
“I’ve seen the storm’s severe impact on the Imperial Valley, and I’m grateful to our crews who responded quickly and safely, working around the clock to restore service,” said IID Board Chair Gina Dockstader. “This board action should help secure assistance to repair or replace the assets that were damaged.”
The resolution is intended to limit the financial burden on IID customers by enabling the District to request state