By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Empire
JUNEAU — More than 100 homes near the Mendenhall River were damaged by a historic glacier outburst flood that crested early Tuesday morning, prompting a state disaster declaration within hours by Gov. Mike Dunleavy as Juneau residents face recovering from impacts far more widespread than expected.
The full extent of damage, number of people displaced from their homes, and how to cope with issues like large-scale trash and debris cleanup remain undetermined, City Manager Katie Koester told the Juneau Assembly during a special meeting at noon Tuesday. The river reached a peak flooding level of 15.99 feet at about 3 a.m., more than a foot higher than record flooding last year that damaged dozens of homes and far above the previous record of 11.99 feet in 2016.
“We saw significant inundation in neighborhoods that were not anticipating inundation” as a result of the unprecedented water level, Koester said.
The Assembly unanimously declared a local emergency at the meeting with a request for state and federal assistance. Mayor Beth Weldon said Tuesday that Dunleavy was scheduled to visit Juneau on Wednesday, and that all three members of Alaska’s congressional delegation were discussing possible near-term visits as well as measures such as federal assistance.
Koester said the next step for local officials is “going to be sending out people to inspect homes…making sure there’s no life-safety concerns.” Coordination with state and other government agencies, plus organizations such as the American Red Cross, to provide assistance to victims of the flood is also proceeding.
An emergency overnight shelter at the former Floyd Dryden Middle School was jointly operated by staff with the City and Borough of Juneau as well as the Red Cross. Koester said the shelter remained empty until the worst flooding started to submerge unsuspecting neighborhoods well after midnight Tuesday.
“Residents were just kind of anticipating that they wouldn’t be impacted and then had to leave in a big hurry come to the shelter,” she said. “Many of them were wet.”
More than 40 people were at the shelter during its peak occupancy, but most had departed by the noon Assembly meeting. However, Deputy City Manager Robert Barr said there may be a lingering need for some forced out of their homes.
“One of the things we’re focused on is caring for long-term sheltering needs,” he told Assembly members. “The shelter is largely empty right now, but we are aware that folks might need to come back as they inspect and determine individual assessments of their damage, so we’re keeping an ear to the ground.”
There were no deaths or serious injuries reported due to the flooding. But Weldon noted emergency officials did rescue several people trapped in their homes, including “one person that was wheelchair-bound and with the power going out she ran out of oxygen.”
The disaster resolution approved by the Assembly specifies damages and needs going well beyond housing.
“Hundreds of vehicles were flooded,” the resolution states. “We are just starting to assess the damage, but it is more expansive than last year’s flood. We anticipate the need for temporary and long term sheltering assistance; financial support to individuals and businesses; environmental clean up support due to fuel oil spills; and resources (people, equipment, supplies, and trash disposal) for flooded structures.”
Koester said disposal of trash and other waste items will be more complex than last year — when manmade items from clothing to oil tanks, along with natural debris such as trees, were carried by the waters to shores throughout Juneau — due to the significantly larger number of homes involved.
“Last year we were able to go door-to-door with CBJ staff, and use CBJ staff to load up dumpsters and coordinate with Waste Management,” she said. “I suspect all of that will be more difficult.”
A state emergency division supervisor and operations specialist are being deployed to Juneau to coordinate disaster assistance efforts that can include grants to individuals and families with damage to their primary homes or transportation, help with disaster-related medical or other expenses, and temporary housing, according to a press release issued by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Koester said people with questions about city-involved assessment and assistance efforts should email floodresponse@juneau.gov since that address is being used to direct inquiries to specific officials.
Other flood-related announcements and assistance on Tuesday included:
The Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority has activated a Tribal Emergency Operations Center on behalf of tribal members. Offered support includes emergency shelter at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, crisis support and help removing standing water from homes. A press release states the Everbridge emergency communication system indicates “over 500 tribal citizens in the Mendenhall Valley may be impacted by the flooding.”
Weldon said “tons of businesses reaching out,” including offers of hotel rooms for displaced residents, and CBJ Docks and Harbors “is running around seeing if anybody needs pumps for their crawl spaces.”
United Way of Southeast Alaska announced it is helping CBJ and other entities coordinate people seeking to volunteer to help as well as those seeking assistance online at https://bit.ly/juneau-flood.
