The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors, during a special meeting on Tuesday, adopted a resolution proclaiming a local emergency in Imperial County to help ensure the District’s eligibility for state disaster assistance.

Tropical Storm Mario struck the region beginning Thursday evening, September 18. It brought exceptionally high winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding, causing extreme peril to the safety of persons and property and severely damaging portions of the District’s energy infrastructure.

Preliminary assessments show that 134 power poles – including numerous transmission structures and associated distribution lines – were damaged, resulting in widespread outages that affected more than 6,970 customers. IID continues to evaluate the full extent of the storm’s impact, which will be reflected in a comprehensive schedule of repairs.

“The storm hit the Imperial Valley very hard, causing a vast amount of damage,” said IID Board Chairwoman Gina Dockstader. “We are proud of our crew members who all rose to the occasion, working quickly and safely, day and night, to restore service, and we believe that the Board’s action today will help in getting assistance to support the repair and/or replacement of our damaged infrastructure.”

The Board’s resolution is an effort to protect IID customers from the full cost of the disaster. Through it, the District is formally requesting funding support from the California Disaster Assistance Act to aid in response and recovery.

Tropical Storm Mario, which hit the IID service territory on Thursday, September 18, brought exceptionally high winds, heavy rainfall, and significant flooding, causing widespread loss of electric service. While IID has restored power, a full assessment of the damage continues, along with a comprehensive schedule of repairs.