2021 City Of Mill Valley Evacuation Drill Update & Reminder
Post Date:09/20/2021 11:35 AM
We need your participation!
The goal of this year’s Mill Valley citywide drill is a timed event to help validate Google’s current evacuation research.
The City of Mill Valley is asking 250 people to line up their cars on East Blithedale to simulate the gridlock we expect during the peak of a mass evacuation. It does not matter whether this is your normal evacuation route. We will then time how fast we can clear the traffic by directing cars to a nearby fire safe space.
Like when your local grocery store speeds things up by adding additional checkers during busy times, our evacuation planning includes utilizing large parking areas and open spaces like Bay Front Park to add safe temporary storage capacity to our road network. These are called “Community Refuge Areas” or CRAs.
The goal is to increase overall evacuation speed and get people down from the canyons quicker.
From start to finish, we anticipate the evacuation drill will take no more than 90 minutes of your time.
Residents not interested in participating in the drill should plan to avoid outbound E. Blithedale between downtown and Camino Alto the morning of September 25, as the road will be blocked until the drill is run.
Additionally, there will be road closures on Sycamore in the area of Mill Valley Middle School and traffic delays on Camino Alto between E. Blithedale and Miller.
The City of Mill Valley continuously focuses on the safety of our community members. This is why we remain diligent in working with partners, studying other community disaster responses, and refining our evacuation plans. Please sign up today for the September 25th drill.
Learn more:
Watch a 21 min video with more background information about the Google evacuation modeling and how it has informed our upcoming drill.
In order to enter the line of cars on East Blithedale - regardless of where you are starting, proceed:
- Northbound on Miller Avenue
- Right onto Sunnyside
- Right onto Eastbound E. Blithedale to join the car line
Beginning at 8:30 cars will be stopped at the corner of East Blithedale and Camino Alto and those behind you will stack up all the way back to Walnut. At 9:00 am, public safety personnel will escort cars right onto Camino Alto, and left onto Sycamore toward Bay Front Park. You will drive Sycamore Avenue until instructed to stop and have a quick interaction with our friendly volunteers before being released. We are timing and measuring the volume of cars using the strategy of quickly releasing gridlocked cars on E. Blithedale towards Bayfront Park. In a real emergency cars will be directed into the park to create a temporary refuge area.
What should I expect?
Please anticipate congestion as participants make their way to East Blithedale. There will be signs and public safety staff to direct cars to the CRA.
What if I DO NOT want to participate?
Please avoid East Blithedale from 8:30 - 10:30 am between Downtown Mill Valley and Camino Alto, and the sidestreets around the Mill Valley Middle School. Sycamore Avenue between Mill Valley Middle and Bay Front Park will be inaccessible by vehicle from 6:00 am - 12:00 pm.
If I have questions, who should I contact?
General questions: Call 415-388-8182 or email info@smfd.org
Media inquiries - Linn Walsh, Public Information Officer, City of Mill Valley
Email: lwalsh@cityofmillvalley.org, Office Phone: 415-388-4863
