Red Cross and city open emergency shelter at Centennial Hall for evacuees vacating avalanche paths
- Jasz Garrett
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
Evacuation advisory in some downtown areas and closure of Thane Road could last days, according to CBJ and DOT
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
This story has been updated with additional information.
An evacuation alert for all known downtown avalanche paths was issued by the city on Friday morning due to rain and wind, with an emergency shelter at Centennial Hall open at noon.
The city’s emergency page states the potential for avalanches in all known slide paths continues to increase and is very likely due to increased snowfall, warmer temperatures and several inches of rain anticipated at high elevations. Residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts and determine their risk by utilizing an online downtown avalanche hazard map.
Britt Tonnessen, the American Red Cross’s Community Disaster Program Manager for Southeast Alaska, said the shelter is preparing for 150 people. The Red Cross coordinated with the city for setup. She said the shelter expects people coming from Behrends Avenue and St. Vincent de Paul's apartments on Gastineau Avenue. She said what is formerly known as the Breakwater Inn is not currently occupied, “so that helps that situation.”
Tonnessen said Thane is a different scenario since there are no houses in the slide path and road hazards can be mitigated by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. However, she said if Thane residents become trapped on the downtown side, they can come to the Centennial Hall Emergency Shelter. The road closed at noon Friday, according to a notice posted by DOT. The closure of Thane Road could be extended multiple days, according to DOT.
AWARE, an emergency shelter offering short-term housing for people who have experienced domestic or sexual violence, was also evacuated to Centennial Hall. AWARE posted a notice on social media that its shelter cannot be accessed and is closed for all services until further notice.
The city’s cold-weather emergency shelter in Thane relocated to the Marie Drake building as of Friday morning. But conditions changed, forcing the shelter to relocate a second time, according to Jennifer Skinner, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Juneau.
In a phone call at about 4:30 p.m., Skinner said the warming shelter would be relocated to the Sitʼ Eeti Shaanáx̱ Glacier Valley Elementary School gymnasium. She said the Marie Drake building was making creaking noises that raised concern for unsafe weight on its roof. The gymnasium roof of Glacier Valley was determined to be safe, according to Skinner. The school was closed earlier this week so shoveling could take place, according to the Juneau School District.
Skinner said social service agencies such as the Glory Hall are being notified of the change, and notices will be posted and transportation provided to the new shelter location for people, including shuttles from Marie Drake so “no one is left behind.”
Tonnessen emphasized that if people have been displaced from their home, they can call 1-800-RED-CROSS, where local calls will be tracked. She added a free Red Cross emergency app offers suggestions for go-bags based on individual needs and the disaster. "Be Red Cross Ready" was also suggested as a helpful website for what to pack. The City and Borough of Juneau's avalanche advisory page suggests a go bag of food, water, medications, important documents and pet supplies.
Tonnessen added possibly bringing “a personal item that brings you comfort,” but noted Centennial Hall is a common-space shelter and advised against bringing valuable items.
“We will have comfort kits, they’re very basic toiletry kits, but people might want to bring their own toiletries,” Tonnessen said. “You’re going to need whatever every member of your family needs to be comfortable and have their health sustained.”
Tonnessen said the shelter is working to set up meals. She added Juneau Animal Rescue pre-positioned pet supplies at Centennial Hall, but people evacuating pets should bring their own crate and will be expected to manage their animals.
“We have blankets and cots, we’re working with feeding partners to help provide meals. Currently, we have snacks set up for people arriving, but then we will be needing meals,” Tonnessen said. “Then pet sheltering, so cohabitating pets to the extent that it’s possible. The preference is that people use family and friends that their pets are comfortable with. Juneau Animal Rescue has limited availability; they have room for quite a few dogs right now.”
She said the Red Cross works on a model where “we can escalate depending on the scenario…depending on how long the conditions last, we would be bringing in more people, more supplies to support the operation. But we work where we can expand up, expand down, and meet the need.”
Tonnessen added the Red Cross’s disaster health services will volunteer and Southeast Alaska Independent Living can help with access and functional needs. The Red Cross is still working on a shower situation, since none are available at Centennial Hall. Tonnessen said there could be a trailer made available, depending on how long the evacuation advisory lasts.
Tonnessen said the Red Cross last opened an evacuation shelter in February 2021 in response to avalanche risk in Juneau.
“There wasn’t the same situation with the roof load,” she said. “Since then, there’s been two fatal landslides in Southeast, including Wrangell and Ketchikan.”
Tonnessen said she thinks this is a bigger storm for Juneau compared to 2021. During that time, most of the residents at the shelter came from the now-closed Breakwater Inn, and then some stayed in the parking lot in residential vehicles with their pets, but did not access Red Cross services. She said in 2021, people either stayed home or went to hotels or homes of friends and family.
“There’s some different factors with the weather and behavior related to climate that we’re experiencing, like the glacial lake outburst flood and the increased number of fatal landslides,” she said. “Our understanding of the danger is increasing. We’ll see how it impacts people’s behavior to leave.”
More information is available about the Centennial Hall Emergency Shelter on the city's emergency page.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
