Juneau flood barriers and early warning prevent major damage, amid record-breaking glacial outburst Officials said there were no reported rescues and minimal flood damage, which is still being assessed

When the peak of the annual glacial outburst flood hit early Wednesday morning in Juneau, newly installed flood barriers stacked along the Mendenhall River largely prevented flooding of the nearby residential area.

The flooding reached a record-breaking 16.65 feet at 7:15 a.m., but nearby homes, businesses and three schools were mostly spared. On Wednesday afternoon, Juneau officials announced the flood threat was over. Officials reported there were no rescues overnight or emergency evacuations during the flooding. There was some flood damage to a bridge, which had already been closed to the public Tuesday and was undergoing repairs.

Residents reported some seepage through the semipermanent HESCO barriers into neighboring yards and homes, and some streets were flooded through water rising through storm drains.

Keeping watch

Israel Katzeek helped his brother-in-law monitor his home in the Mendenhall Valley, on Lakeview Court and Meander Way, across the street from homes adjacent to the river. On Wednesday morning, water levels rose through the storm drains filling the intersection to about a third of the way up their driveway.

"At the peak, it was deep enough on this corner for paddle boarding, believe it or not. I wasn't paddle boarding, but neighbors were," he said.

They had prepared a two-foot wall of sandbags around the front of the home. Katzeek's sister and her children had evacuated, but he and his brother-in-law stayed to monitor the house. Last year, the house had some partial flood damage to the garage so this year, the family took extra steps, with a sandbag barrier. Many homes on the street had sandbags and plastic liners along garage doors. Talking around midday on Wednesday as the flood waters were subsiding, Katzeek described what it felt like.

"Definitely relief. We were kind of bracing for the worst, obviously, with the barriers and elevating things and evacuating. It's like 'relief' is just like the best way to put it," he said.

Researchers and local officials have been analyzing data to better prepare for flood risks. It appeared that work was paying off.

This year, Katzeek said the emergency preparedness effort and alerts were helpful. "I think the neighborhood was well informed. I think there was better advance notice about the dam breakage at Suicide Basin," he said. "Like thoughtful advisories in place well in advance of the flooding."

A closely monitored flood

The Mendenhall Glacier's ice-dammed lake burst Tuesday morning, prompting an emergency alert and following evacuation advisory for some downriver Mendenhall Valley neighborhoods. Waters swelled throughout the night, carrying trees, debris and glacial melt swiftly downstream.

The Mendenhall River reached the record-breaking level Wednesday morning. "So this is a new all time record, high crest for the Mendenhall lake and river system," said Nicole Ferrin with the National Weather Service.

Since 2011, the area has seen flooding from Mendenhall Glacier outburst events, as global climate change accelerates ice melting, more precipitation and increased flooding. Last year floods reached a then-record 15.99 feet, flooding the area and damaging more than 290 homes.

Throughout Wednesday the river continued to slowly recede; many onlookers came out to see the fast-moving, muddy waters carrying whole trees and debris downriver.

Juneau officials warned it was still an active flood zone and cautioned the public to avoid the river areas, as damage was still being assessed.

"The barriers are, by and large, holding together. We are seeing a small amount of seepage in the HESCO barriers in certain locations, and that's still very much being assessed," said Ryan O'Shaughnessy, director of emergency programs for the City and Borough of Juneau, at a news conference on Wednesday morning.

There were some reports of trees striking the barriers and causing damage, he said, and some were repaired or fortified with sandbags further, but the extent of damage is still being investigated.

"Assessment is happening via drones and will soon start to happen in person, as we make assessments that the water on the river side of the barriers is dropping to a point where our personnel can be safe and make those in-person inspections," he said.

Sabrina Grubitz, safety manager with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, emphasized the flood barriers were effective. "We can definitely say that if the HESCO barriers were not placed, we certainly would have seen a considerable amount more damage than we saw now," she said. "They certainly have been doing their job."

Juneau officials reported no emergency rescues, and about 75 calls were answered at an emergency hotline. An evacuation shelter set up at the Floyd Dryden school building assisted nine people.

"Most folks evacuated the area and stayed out of the area. We didn't have any significant incidents with the water," said Assistant Chief Sam Russell of Capital City Fire and Rescue. "And so we didn't have to do any work last night, which was kind of nice."

Christopher Goins, director of the southcoast region of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, reported some damage to the bridge across the river on Back Loop Road, which was closed for repairs through Wednesday afternoon.

"We saw a power pole and our wing abutment on the southeast side of the (Back Loop) bridge basically began to lean into the water," Goins said. "And we are beginning to lose portions of the road associated with that abutment there .... The bridge itself is in great condition. We're not concerned about that at this time, but that does mean we are going to have an extended closure while we repair that fill material behind the bridge, where it meets the land."

The U.S. Coast Guard is actively monitoring outflow debris and potential pollution, and are broadcasting advisories to mariners. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also have crews onsite monitoring the area. They assisted in repairing a break in the flood barrier at Dimond Park on Wednesday morning, officials said, and would respond to any other areas as needed.

The U.S. Forest Service closed the Mendenhall Recreation Area on Wednesday, and the visitor's center was closed to the public.

The first day of school for Juneau students has also been postponed, said Superintendent Frank Hauser, from Thursday to Friday.

On Wednesday afternoon, areas of the Mendenhall Valley that had been evacuated were opened to residents to return, and municipal crews continued to assess damage in the area.

The nonemergency hotline remained open at (907-500-0890). Flood recovery resources, including debris disposal information and safety tips for re-entering a home with flood damage can be found at bit.ly/JuneauFloodRecovery.

As the flood waters receded from Meander Way, with the help of municipal crews pumping a nearby storm drain, Israel Katzeek began starting the clean up process at his sister's home. He expressed uncertainty about preparing for what could become an annual flood.

"It's hard to say because even this year, we kind of pulled all the stops to be prepared. And, yeah, you know, even in the 11th hour, we still weren't sure if we prepared enough," he said. "It seems like there's a lot of variables."

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