Thousand Palms Family Kept Awake by Repeated Alarm: Residents Call for Action

For most people, an alarm is how they start the day. But for sisters Elma and Sarah Mahmic, it’s how their nights are constantly interrupted. The two women, who live in a quiet Thousand Palms neighborhood, say they’ve been losing sleep for weeks — not because of their own alarm, but due to a persistent security system blaring from a nearby business.

"It's loud. Sometimes it starts around 8 p.m., sometimes as late as 10," said Sarah. "I’ve woken up at midnight and it’s still going off. One night, I came home around 1 a.m., and it was still blaring."

The noise, they say, is coming from Southwest Plumbing, located approximately a quarter of a mile away. The sisters say the alarm often triggers multiple times throughout the night, disturbing not only their rest but their peace of mind.

"In the winter, you want to sleep with your windows open to enjoy the cool air, but you can’t. In the summer, even with the A.C., we have to use white noise machines just to sleep," Sarah added.

Despite contacting both the business and local code enforcement, the sisters feel like their concerns have gone unheard.

"I’ve complained, but nothing has changed," said Elma. "It feels like it’s actually gotten worse lately."

NBC Palm Springs reached out to Southwest Plumbing. While one of the business owners declined to appear on camera, he did offer a statement.

“We sincerely apologize if our alarm security system has caused any inconvenience. In most cases, the alarm has been triggered by animals or debris, especially during high winds in the area. We’ve contacted our alarm company, and technicians are scheduled to inspect the system.”

Code enforcement, when contacted, confirmed that only one complaint has been filed — and that case was closed.