Residents, officials say HESCO barriers and other protections mostly successful, but some flood woes remain
- Mark Sabbatini
- 15 hours ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 33 minutes ago
Back Loop Bridge closed indefinitely due to damage from tree strike, Mendenhall Glacier area closed Wednesday, public schools closed Thursday
By Mark Sabbatini, Natalie Buttner, Jasz Garrett, Ellie Ruel and Laurie Craig
Juneau Independent
Update 12:20 p.m.: Residents living near the Mendenhall River largely agreed the HESCO barriers protected their homes, and officials said no emergency evacuations were necessary, but that didn’t prevent significant flooding in some neighborhoods.
Residents who stayed behind despite the evacuation order reported water seeping under barriers and up through storm drains. City officials confirmed this during a press briefing at 10 a.m.
“We are seeing a small amount of seepage in the HESCO barriers in certain locations, and that's still very much being assessed,” said Ryan O’Shaughnessy, emergency programs manager for the City and Borough of Juneau. “That assessment is happening via drone and will soon start to happen in person, as we make assessments that the water on the riverside of the barriers is dry.”
Capital City Fire/Rescue, in a Facebook post shortly after 10 a.m., said the barriers and other preventative efforts by a collaboration of agencies meant “our community avoided what certainly would have been tens of millions of dollars in damages.”
“Thanks to these proactive measures, CCFR did not respond to a single emergency evacuation or rescue during the rising flooding — a remarkable testament to the effectiveness of the planning, partnerships, and teamwork involved,” the post states.
The record flooding that crested at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday also resulted in a small section of the Back Loop Bridge surface being knocked away when it was struck by a tree, according to the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The bridge will be closed indefinitely while damage is assessed, said Christopher Goins, Southcoast Region director for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
“We are beginning to lose portions of the road associated with that abutment there, and that's the main support,” Goins said. “The bridge itself is in great condition. We're not concerned about that at this time.”
A tree strike also damaged HESCO barriers behind the Dimond Park Field House. Officials with CBJ and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said their assessments of the barriers’ effectiveness are taking place throughout the day.
Concern about further problems due to trees being swept away was expressed by the weather service in a social media post at about 12:30 p.m.
"We have received reports that as the water recedes, the bank is unstable and is allowing trees to fall into the river," the post states. "This is a reminder to stay away from the river and allow officials to do what they need to do."
Mariners are also being advised to watch for trees and other debris in Auke Bay and other waters near Juneau.
All Juneau public schools will be closed on Thursday, which would have been the first day of school for elementary, middle and high school students. Juneau School District Superintendent Frank Hauser said school will now start on Friday, subject to change depending on the situation. There was no water damage to campuses, Hauser said.
Residents watching water rise from a Meander Way storm drain expressed relief when the National Weather Service posted an update at about 8 a.m. stating the flooding had crested.
Dane Schmick watched the yard across from his house take on water. He said he felt the HESCO barriers and other actions by city officials this year were generally effective.
“I'm really happy that the city has decided to put up the barriers and the communication this year has been really good, I think,” Schmick said. “Not only making sure that people know the levels and the risk of associated with staying, but also making sure that people know that, ‘Hey, let's minimize the amount of people coming in for disaster tourism, the lookie-loos.’”
He said he was “a bit worried” when he first learned about the plan to install HESCO barriers because the mandatory $6,300 payment imposed on property owners in the flood zone “was a bit difficult at first to comprehend.”
“But I thought the city did a good job of breaking it down between the meetings and the pamphlets that they sent out breaking down how the costs would work,” he said. “It convinced me enough to say, ‘Hey, this is a worthwhile investment to hopefully give us some line of protection.’ And I know some people might be a little bit upset, but overall, I think it helps kind of the greater good.”
An emergency overnight shelter set up at the Floyd Dryden school building remains open, but only nine people stayed there overnight, said Sabrina Grubitz, public safety manager for the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
“At this time, the reports we're getting from the community is that a majority of the individuals that did evacuate were evacuating to family and friends,” she said.
Among the areas experiencing flooding were Meadow Lane, Stikine Street, Meander Way, Marion Drive, Killewich Drive, the Safeway parking lot, Parkview Court, Center Court, Gee Street and View Drive, O'Shaughnessy said.
Flooding also affected the Mendenhall Glacier Recreational Area, which remains closed, said Michael Downs, Juneau District Ranger for the Tongass National Forest. He said the east side of the area where the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center is located will remain closed until 5 p.m. today, but it appears the impacts there are minimal.
“We had the power shut down, but the power is back on,” he said. “Now everything looks really good at the visitor center, but the trails are still underwater and so we just want to keep folks out for the day.”
Areas on the west side of the glacier are still underwater and “probably going to take us at least five or six days to assess the road out there,” Downs said.
A flood warning remains in effect until 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service Juneau. Officials at Wednesday’s briefing said people who are not residents of the flood zone should stay away as work begins on assessing damage and debris cleanup. One more emergency alert will be sent out when an "all-clear" is determined according to the Unified Command.
“Although the river has crested and is dropping, we are still responding to this flood, and we respectfully ask for the public's continued cooperation staying out of these neighborhoods and giving our first responders a chance to get in there, assess the damage and inspect, make final inspections on the HESCO barriers,” O'Shaughnessy said.
Update 8:18 a.m.: The Mendenhall Lake gauge crested at 16.65 feet at about 7:15 a.m., according to National Weather Service Juneau. Areas downriver could expect to experience crests 15-45 minutes soon after, according to a notice issued at 8:18 a.m.
Initially, the Mendenhall River's receding will be slow. But later in the day, the river should begin to drop faster, according to General Meteorologist Sean Jones.
The Mendenhall Valley remains in the flood stage. Residents are advised against returning to the area.
Those who never evacuated provided updates to the city and reporters about water pooling on Meander Way and Marion Drive, beyond the HESCO barriers designed to protect the area.
"This appears to be from water seeping at the barriers but is NOT A HESCO BREACH," a notice by the City and Borough of Juneau posted at 5:38 a.m. states. "CBJ crews have installed water pumps at North Meander Way and are working on installing them at Marion Drive. We have crews monitoring the areas closely and will continue to provide updates."
On two hours of sleep, Sean Smack left to help his and others' neighborhoods. There was about a foot of water away from his garage at 7:30 a.m.
He said the city left water pumps running, but they needed to be filled with gasoline. At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, he left Meander Way for his first run to grab more gas from residents on Northland Street.
Smack said he would use the raft because it was easier than carrying the gas cans. The Mendenhall River was 16.35 feet and rising as of 7 a.m., according to National Weather Service Juneau.
Nico Bus, also on Meander Way, agreed that the barriers seemed to be working despite the ground seepage.
"There's water in our yard, but it could have been worse," he said.
Ashley Heimbigner, CBJ Communications and Engagement Director, said as of 6:19 a.m., the Department of Transportation was conducting drone surveys and the Unified Command monitored the situation closely.
Alaska Electric Light and Power issued a notice at 4:45 a.m. stating power was being disconnected in some areas due to preparations for a 16-foot flood stage.
"This means power will be disconnected to the following areas imminently: Disconnect parts of Riverside. Disconnect Vintage park. Disconnect Wild Meadow Lane. Disconnect Meadow lane," the notice states. "Disconnect Visitors center. Continue to evaluate Willow Park. We are also disconnecting Meander Way, Northland Street, Turn Street, parts of Parkview Court, parts of Stephen Richards Memorial Drive, and parts of Center Court."
"So far we've been good here," Scott Heaton, who lives at the end of Rivercourt Way, said. "My next door neighbor's yard, she's getting a little seepage. Nothing on our property."
He said he chose not to evacuate, although he had go bags ready in his truck.
"The jökulhlaup started the year after we bought our house," Heaton said. "We've been dealing with the floods here for 10 years, and this year with barriers, we were probably as prepared as we have ever been."
Heaton said he is "pretty happy" about the barriers now. Last year, his house experienced flooding in the crawlspace and garage.
Original story 2:20 a.m.: A glacial lake outburst flood from Suicide Basin is expected to result in a record flood level of the Mendenhall River on Wednesday morning, with a peak of 16.55 feet forecast shortly before noon, according to a National Weather Service Juneau hydrograph published shortly after 12:30 a.m.
A flood warning issued by the Weather Service notes the peak level may range from 16.25 to 16.75 feet, and the crest could occur sometime between 8 a.m. and noon.
"It is important to know that leading up to crest and as river levels fall, high river flow will be observed," the warning notes. "Mariners should be advised during the outburst event, numerous trees and debris have been reported in the river and may have washed downstream."
The river passed the major flood stage of 14 feet at about 12:30 a.m., according to the weather service. As of 2 a.m., the level was 14.35 feet and rising.
Floods from Suicide Basin have occurred at record levels each of the past two years, with last year’s flood cresting at 15.99 feet and damaging nearly 300 homes. This year a semi-permanent levee of HESCO barriers has been installed that is intended to protect homes in flood-prone areas from a river level reaching 18 feet.
City emergency response officials recommended evacuation Tuesday to nearly 900 homes through doorknockers. A notice also went out through an emergency alert. Live river footage from multiple cameras is available at the Juneau Glacial Flood Dashboard, along with flood updates and other related information.
An emergency overnight shelter was set up at the Floyd Dryden Middle School gymnasium, but as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, only a few residents were staying there, according to staff at the shelter.
This year’s outburst flood was detected at about 9:20 a.m. Tuesday. Early alerts called for the Mendenhall River to crest Wednesday afternoon, but on Tuesday evening, forecasters adjusted it to crest between 8 a.m. and noon.
"The reason for the change (in) crest timing is due to rain masking the start of the subglacial release and refining the initial start time of the event," a flood alert published by the weather service at about 6:45 p.m. states.
Andy Park, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Juneau, said their staff is monitoring the Mendenhall Lake gauge. The forecasted crest time depends on how fast the lake level is rising.
"Right now, we're just watching the rate of rise on the Mendenhall Lake and making sure our forecast matches that," he said. "So that's why you have such a large window. We're not going to say the river is going to crest exactly at this time right now."
Numerous roads and facilities have been closed, including the Back Loop Bridge and city recreation facilities at Dimond Park.
For the first time this year, the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center will be closed due to the glacial lake outburst flood.
"The reason I'm doing it is because when I found out that it was going to be around the 17 feet, this power box over here, that's my electricity," said Michael Downs, Juneau District Ranger for the Tongass National Forest.
He said when the flood reaches 16 feet, Alaska Electric Light and Power will shut off the power.
"I don't want to be open when that happens," Downs said.
He told tourists whitecaps in the lake below the east side of the glacier were the scary sight of the basin releasing and educated them about the history of the floods.
The Mendenhall Lake campgrounds were evacuated Tuesday morning. Downs said. Trails had also been closed, including Nugget Falls, Photo Point, West Glacier Trail, and Steep Creek.
On Tuesday evening, a Forest Order was signed to close the visitor center and the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area. The Powerline Trail and Trail of Time were also closed. Earlier Tuesday, the order hadn't included the visitor center. Downs said people violating the order could be fined up to $5,000.
"I also have permission from State DOT to close the road for safety concerns," Downs said. "I plan to implement at 6 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday)."
The Flood Information Hotline is live at (907) 500-0890 for non-emergency questions. Emergency reports should be made to 911. People can also sign up for emergency alerts by visiting bit.ly/CBJAlerts or texting CBJ to 38276.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306. Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
