The Mendenhall River and lake are again the focus and concern of many in Juneau as a flood warning is issued until Monday morning from glacial dam outburst flooding.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Mendenhall River and lake are again the focus and concern of many in Juneau as a flood warning was issued through Monday morning from the likeliness of glacial dam outburst flooding.about the potential for more flooding in the Mendenhall Lake and river as the National Weather Service issued a flood warning Friday night. Crests of 11 to 11.5 feet are expected to cause flooding, likely to homes along View Drive and Meander Way, officials said.
“We want to encourage people to stay away from the river,” said George Schaaf, acting CBJ manager. “Cold temperatures we’re experiencing right now and the cold water make hypothermia a real risk, and we also received some snow yesterday, so the banks are quite slippery. We really are asking people to stay away from the river and not get not get close to that fast-flowing water.”
Schaaf and city officials said they’re confident this instance of flooding won’t exceed the forecasted amount, as the Suicide Basin where the water flows from will be empty after that. Given the increased frequency of these flooding events, the city has been working with state and federal organizations including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the state of Alaska and others to prepare for more flooding events in the long-term.
“It’s a huge cost to the community and to those residents,” said Schaaf. “And then for the city and borough, we’re doing everything we can as well to come up with not only immediate strategies to defend property and protect infrastructure, but also work with state and federal agencies on longer term fixes to try to mitigate these events in the future.
Juneau Flood Mendenhall River Mendenhall Lake Mendenhall Flood Alaska River Alaska Flood Alaska Weather National Weather Service National Weather Service Alaska Juneau Weather Juneau Disaster Alaska Disaster Suicide Basin Alaska Glacier Glacial Dam Glacial Burst
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