On the night of Feb. 25, residents of Travel Village RV Park woke to the sound of helicopters and sirens as the earth fell into the flooded Santa Clara riverbed, sweeping trailers and park facilities with it. 

Just after midnight on Saturday, the ground began to fall under the feet of residents at the RV Park in Castaic as water rushed past in the Santa Clara riverbed and eroded the surrounding ground. 

RV trailers sink into a flooded ravine in Santa Clarita on Feb. 25, 2023. Photo by Zena Taher

“We woke up to the helicopters flying low,” recounts Laura Linder, a 10-year resident of the park. “It’s pouring down rain and we’re hearing voices outside. It was like organized chaos.”

Neighbors immediately banded together to help with rescue efforts and in pulling people’s trailers away from the danger zone. 

“Some people didn’t have a way to move their trailers. Neighbors with trucks ran and pulled other people’s trailers out of the way,” said Linder. 

By 3 a.m. two RV’s, a car, a dumpster and two septic tanks had been swept away in the rushing waters, leaving residents with no power and no water. The night’s events were captured in multiple Tik Toks by user michaelassword, a resident of the park. 

“There used to be two huge trash barrels there, two entire rows of trailers, and this used to be a street,” said Michaela in a video, showing what is now a roped-off mud wall leading into the river.

By Saturday morning, four trailers were swept away and officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department stated that nobody was injured. 

“We could’ve lost people,” said Linder. “We all pulled together. It’s like with COVID a lot of people became strangers and all of a sudden I’m starting to see again how people were before. There was humanity.” 

Residents were without power for much of the weekend until two generators were donated to help power the park. As of Feb. 28, residents are still without clean water. 

“People are still in shock,” said Linder. “We don’t have water in our trailer. Some of the trailers have water tanks and some don’t.”

The area near the mud cliff has been fenced off but residents still fear what future rain will bring for the park, as the unstable ground still poses a threat with any amount of rainfall. 

Saturday’s disaster has shaken the community, and the absence of water and for a while power, it has impacted residents’ ability to bathe, clean, cook, and even use the restrooms. Many of the people whose trailers were swept away are staying with residents. 

On Monday, Linder posted on Facebook calling on local businesses and volunteers to help the struggling community. As a result, In-n-Out is scheduled to donate meals to the residents on Wednesday.  

Although part of the park is fenced off from the public, the RV Park is not and any donations or volunteer efforts are encouraged. According to Linder, the biggest need for the community is water. Donations of bottled water are highly encouraged. 

Other examples of donations include:

• Sandwiches
• Frozen meals
• Pre-cooked meals
• Homemade meals
• Store-bought snacks 
• Bottled drinks

Any other businesses or restaurants interested in supporting the community are encouraged to contact KHTS Radio.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.