Crime & Safety

City Preps for Scott Valley Evacuation Drill Saturday

For the fifth time in seven years, first responders and city officials will practice a large-scale evacuation exercise, with approximately 700 households involved.

From the to the vicious tornadoes that ravaged the South, we’ve had no shortage of reminders that a catastrophic natural event can occur at anytime.

It is with that in mind that the City of Mill Valley is holding a full-scale evacuation drill on Saturday, using as designated command post and evacuee hub for the residents of approximately 700 homes in the Scott Valley neighborhood and the unincorporated area of Mill Valley west of East Blithedale Avenue.

At about 9 a.m., area residents will hear an evacuation siren and receive a phone message through a reverse 9-1-1 dialing system requesting them to evacuate. officers will go door-to-door in Scott Valley to encourage residents to participate.

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Residents will be instructed to get to Edna Maguire by foot, bicycle or car. The evacuees will be asked to complete a short survey at the school after the drill is over at around 1 p.m.

The drill is the fifth the city has done in the past seven years, hoping to help first responders and city officials anticipate issues that may arise if evacuation becomes necessary due to a wildfire. The simulated wildfire will also test the Marin County Mutual Threat Zone Plan, which prescribes staging areas and command posts for fire and police depending on the location of the emergency.

Find out what's happening in Mill Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"With hundreds of homes nestled in the hillsides, where wildfires are a regular natural occurrence, we know it's simply a matter of time before an emergency strikes our community," said Mill Valley Fire Chief Greg Moore in a statement. “Drills like these are the best way to make sure residents, fire, police and medical personnel from across the region and the emergency volunteers whose help we'll need all know what to expect when the real disaster strikes.”

Scott Valley residents were notified of the drill several weeks ago. In addition, another 793 households east of East Blithedale received a letter advising them of the drill, but they aren’t being asked to evacuate because of the hazard of crossing East Blithedale to reach Edna Maguire.

The city previously conducted evacuation drills in Blithedale Canyon (2005 and 2007), Cascade Canyon (2009) and Warner Canyon 2010.

Moore said this drill offers some unique challenges, including finding a way to efficiently evacuate about a dozen horses that live on .

"This is a very unique opportunity for families to assess their own readiness in a safe but realistic simulation and to figure out what steps they need to take to get better prepared," said Mill Valley Police Chief J. Angel Bernal.

Once residents arrive at Edna Maguire, they’ll be asked to complete a survey about the evacuation. They’ll also receive emergency preparedness information and have a chance to visit with organizations like the Red Cross, Marin Humane Society, Whistlestop Wheels, Marin Medical Reserve Corps, Mill Valley Emergency Preparedness Commission and the Salvation Army. 


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