JUNEAU – Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska declared a state disaster emergency on Tuesday when the Mendenhall River hit a new high point and flooded parts of Mendenhall Valley.
Officials from the City and Borough of Juneau say that those neighborhoods in north Juneau had a lot of damage to their property, forcing many of the people to move.
In photos of Alaskan areas that were flooded, driveways and roads were submerged, turning homes into islands. The water was so high that it reached the windshields of some cars.
The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says that no one has been killed or hurt.
“I am grateful no one has been injured or killed by this morning’s outburst flood,” he said. “Emergency responders and managers have done an outstanding job keeping their residents safe,”
Dunleavy also said that he has told all of Alaska’s government departments to help the people who were affected by the flood.
A number of things came together to cause the floods.
As of 3:15 a.m. local time, the Mendenhall River, which flows next to the flooded areas, reached a record high point of 15.99 feet. The Mendenhall River’s main flood stage is 14 feet, just so you know.
The NWS Juneau said that over the course of a year, rain and meltwater from the Suicide Glacier fill up Suicide Basin, a hollow in the ground made by the glacier melting. The Mendenhall Glacier acts as a natural wall and keeps that water where it is.
A passage often forms through a lower level of the Mendenhall Glacier when the basin fills with water. This lets the water flow downstream into Mendenhall Lake, which feeds the Mendenhall River.
The water from this flow is what made Mendenhall Lake rise almost 10 feet, the Mendenhall River reach record highs, and flood homes.
The NWS in Juneau said the river level will drop below the major flood stage. The river level was almost 12 feet low as of late Tuesday morning, and it is still going down.
The NWS in Juneau said that since 2011, flooding along the Mendenhall River and Mendenhall Lake has happened several times a year because of glacial lake outbursts from Suicide Basin.
Another record was set in the summer of 2023 when a glacial lake burst caused the Mendenhall River to reach a height of about 14.82 feet at 12 a.m. on August 6.
This week, three hours to the day, the glacial lake burst set a new record.