Hydration stations bring Niland relief
Jessamyn Dodd
NILAND, Calif. (KYMA) – As temperatures climb across the desert southwest, some of the most vulnerable residents are facing dangerous conditions.
Good samaritans and residents in Niland are joining stepping up to help those in the community stay hydrated and protect themselves against heat-related illnesses until the city’s cooling center is open.
Just off the 111 highway, a pop-up hydration station sits at the edge of a gas station, where Niland resident April Ochoa hands out cold water at a pop-up hydration station.
“I’m trying to help the people, the housed, unhoused, having a hydration station and support them because right now we currently don’t have an open cooling center until July 1st, and as if you notice the temperatures here are already outrageous,” Ochoa told KYMA.
In Niland, one of the most underserved and poverty stricken areas in Imperial County, many seniors and children are living without air conditioning as triple digit heat settles in.
What’s worse, the cooling center in Niland is currently not open. Ochoa said this is due to staffing changes at the fire department, where the cooling center is located.
In the meantime, she and others are checking on seniors and those with health issues daily.
“I have a senior citizen that currently lives in the only one set of apartments…whose AC has been broken down for three weeks,” she said.
Ochoa is getting help with water donations from The Becoming Project, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice, and from other residents in Niland.
Niland’s cooling center is expected to open on July 1.