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What Mill Valley is changing before El Niño: alerts, sandbags and school plans
What’s happening: Mill Valley wants Alert Marin to become its main storm alert tool and is adding a communications team ahead of a forecast El Niño winter, officials told the City Council and school board at a joint meeting Monday. City Manager Todd Cusimano said alerts have not worked well in past storms, a recurring finding in after-action reviews by the city’s public safety team and county emergency management.
Why it matters: NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said Oct. 8 that El Niño is still strengthening and gave an 83% chance that October through December will be a historic event, stronger than any El Niño since 1950. NOAA said stronger events make El Niño impacts more likely but not guaranteed. The city’s winter outlook report, written by its fire, police and public works departments, lists heavy rain, creek and high-tide flooding, wind and landslides as hazards to prepare for.