Flood relief center at Melvin Park seeks help
- Jasz Garrett
- Aug 14
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 19
More volunteers needed through at least Friday; communication challenges continue
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
As Angela Smith's grandchildren shoveled gravel onto her damaged driveway on View Drive, a car stopped on the street to offer support. The water had lifted Smith's driveway and caved part of it in, leaving a hole.
Without cell service and internet capability, View Drive residents are having trouble asking for help and filing their flood insurance claims.
Kim Kiefer with the United Way response team was making rounds through flooded neighborhoods with lunches on Thursday. She went door to door on View Drive to hand out food and flyers. She said volunteers also drove through Riverside Drive.
"Please come by and talk to us today (Thursday) so we can get somebody on it, and we'll give them full protective gear," Kiefer told Smith, whose crawlspace was filled with water. "They'll have masks, they'll have gloves, they'll have headlamps. And when they're going underneath, they can see what they need to do. They'll have plastic bags to pull all that wet insulation out."
On Thursday, an incident command volunteer center was set up at Melvin Park by United Way. It was open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is open the same hours on Friday. Kiefer said they may extend into the weekend depending on residents' needs.
"We want anybody that's been impacted by the flood to try and come there," she said, since View Drive residents and others on Mendenhall Back Loop could not make or receive phone calls or use the internet.
If they have internet, volunteers and those impacted by the flood can sign up to take part in the flood relief center online.
Kiefer said volunteers would continue making stops around the Mendenhall Valley on Friday.
The volunteers needed most are those who can do physical labor, since work involves pulling insulation out of wet crawlspaces.
Donations of fans, dehumidifiers, and food are also needed. The volunteer headquarters phone number is (907) 713-4493.
Flood damage assessment and spill response teams visited homes on Thursday. The Community Emergency Response Team, Team Rubicon, the American Red Cross of Alaska-Juneau Office, and United Way surveyed flood-impacted areas.
These volunteers joined representatives from the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska to provide support to impacted residents and identify any spills or safety hazards.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
