Tlingit and Haida, CBJ draft joint plan for mitigating natural and other disasters

Public comments sought until July 1 about floods, landslides, fires, hazardous spills, other threats

While many Juneau residents and officials are focusing on the threat of another glacial outburst flood this summer, an unprecedented storm on Monday that nearly caused two cruise ships to collide shows the necessity of expecting the unexpected — or at least planning for it.

A draft assessment of a wide range of natural and human-caused hazards, and possible mitigation for them, are detailed in a 328-page report released jointly on Tuesday by the City and Borough of Juneau in collaboration with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

Public comments on the draft plan are being accepted through July 1, with a meeting to present and discuss the report from 5:30-6:30 p.m. June 30 at City Hall. A full draft report is scheduled for release and review in mid-July, after which it will be considered for approval by city, tribal, state and federal officials.

The assessment is notable for what it includes — and doesn’t.

“The Planning Team determined that the following hazards pose a threat to Juneau and the Traditional Lands of Tlingit & Haida: Earthquake, Severe Weather, Wildland and Downtown Fire, Ground Failure (Landslide), Tsunami and Seiches, Flood, Shoreline/Bank Destabilization, Changes in Cryosphere (Glacier and Avalanche), Volcano, High Hazard Potential Dams (HHPD), Hazardous Materials Incident, and Cybersecurity Threat,” the report states.

Omitted are civil unrest, major infrastructure failure such as a bridge collapse and mass casualty incidents such as one involving thousands of cruise ship tourists. It also bypasses permafrost thaw since that’s a nonfactor to local structures — and also skips surface transportation interruptions even though those have the potential to cause considerable distress.

"According to the McKinley Research Group, over 95% of all freight that comes to Southeast Alaska communities is on a barge (KTOO 2021)," the report states. "Delays with these cargo ships can happen, which can lead to food shortages throughout the community."

Furthermore, "the Planning Area is especially vulnerable to potential longshoreman’s strikes, policy trade wars, ship mechanical issues, and natural disasters that could delay the arrival of barges," according to the report.

The draft plan is to a large extent a compilation of many assessments for potential threats, as well as the impacts and responses to disasters that have occurred. Impacts of record glacier outburst floods and CBJ’s recently released flood inundation maps are in one section, for example. Another details evacuation areas if the Salmon Creek Dam bursts.

Other sections provide updated landslide/avalanche maps and how climate change may affect weather-related disasters, note past hazardous materials incidents and cyberthreats, and even include the National Weather Service’s recent headline-making decision to issue heat warnings when temperatures in Southeast Alaska reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The partnering of Tlingit and Haida with city government efforts is an extension of emergency management efforts that have occurred after hundreds of homes were damaged by record glacial floods the past two years. The tribal government provided assistance to hundreds of residents and has established its own Office of Emergency Management that among other things helped secure federal disaster funding for the area last year.

"The City and Borough of Juneau and the Traditional Lands of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska are in the same geographic area and thus experience the same vulnerability to hazards," the report states. "The geographic planning area is also known as Dzantik’i Héeni which translates from Tlingit to “Flounder at the Base of the Creek.”

The tribal government’s involvement in the assessment also means it contains more than just bland bureaucracy and scientific statistics. Interspersed throughout are traditional tales that colorfully illustrate how tribal members have co-existed for thousands of years with natural elements that pose threats.

A narrative of the "Wind Women," for instance, begins by declaring "Tlingit believes the North Wind had its power given to it by spirits that reside in mountain cliffs. Therefore, they never speak against North Wind, no matter how hard it blows." It then offers a short narrative of "a high caste man" who married daughters of both the East Wind and North Wind, and how the jealous East daughter got a parent to blow warm wind that melted the North daughter’s sparkling clothing.

"The story explains how different winds brought different weather conditions," the passage concluded. "When these winds intensified, severe weather could become more prevalent. To this day, wind direction is a key factor in predicting weather events and assessing potential hazards."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.