Residents in some parts of Juneau prepared to evacuate ahead of what could be a record surge of flooding as rainwater and snowmelt in a huge basin dammed by Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier started to flow downstream toward the capital city.
Officials in recent days have been warning people in the flood zone to be ready to evacuate. On Tuesday morning they confirmed water had started escaping the ice dam, with flooding expected into late Wednesday. They advised people in the city’s flood zone to leave.
One couple said they’re encouraging their neighbors to evacuate, but plan to stay put after sending their kids outside the flood zone. Their three daughters, aged 11, 10, and 8, were sent to a friend’s house at higher ground Tuesday to make absolutely sure they’re safe.
“The girls are having sleepovers outside the flood zone,” said Sam Hatch, a civilian Coast Guard vessel safety regulator. “A friend from work has three daughters as well so we shoved them all in one house and they’re having a six-girl epic four-day right-before-school-starts sleepover. I really owe my friend for taking them.”
The Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Juneau, population 30,000, and is a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity to Alaska’s capital city and easy access on walking trails. Homes on the city’s outskirts are within miles of Mendenhall Lake, which sits below the glacier, and many front the Mendenhall River.
The water that’s being released in the glacial outburst is flowing into the river, putting homes that are closest to the river at risk. The National Weather Service said it expected flooding to peak at 4 p.m. local time Wednesday.
“This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have,” Nicole Ferrin, a weather service meteorologist, told a news conference Tuesday.
