Valley flood victims fill sandbags in anticipation of glacier lake outburst flood during next few weeks
- Laurie Craig
- Jul 26
- 3 min read
At 9 a.m. Saturday morning only a single vehicle was parked by the big sand pile near Dimond Park where residents would soon gather to fill sandbags to bolster their homes against potential flood water in Mendenhall River when Suicide Basin likely releases in the next few weeks. Shovels were poked into the sand ready to be used by more than the one man filling bags before the crowd arrived.
By 10 a.m. the scene had changed considerably.
Vehicles were lined up on the access road. City and Borough of Juneau Emergency Programs Manager Ryan O’Shaughnessy had quickly set up an impromptu registration table and laptop computer to log in participants who arrived to claim and fill 75 free white vinyl sandbags.
Two volunteers directed the drivers to a waiting area until the 12-15 sandbag loading spots encircling the sand pile had been vacated. The organized directions ensured orderly and safe access to the material.
The sandbagging was a do-it-yourself effort, but a few volunteers offered free labor to assist some of the older flood victims. A sense of camaraderie lifted voices along with the sound of shovels scraping in the sand. At four nearby softball diamonds occasional cheers erupted when a Rainball Tournament team scored a hit. The sunny morning held a feeling of small town cooperation and neighborliness.
Weston Holland, in the queue for bags was also a victim of the 2024 glacier lake outburst flood, or "jokulhlaup." He lives on hard-hit Emily Way. When asked if he thinks the new HESCO barriers lining the riverbank will prevent similar severe flood impacts this year, he said, “We’ll see. Either it will or it won’t. It’s about 50-50."
Marie Ahrens, reentry case manager, arrived with five Gastineau Human Services volunteers who counted and sorted sandbags for speedy distribution, and helped fill bags. Ahrens parents’ home was impacted by last year’s flood, so she had a personal connection to Saturday’s efforts.
“There’s no way to do this yourself,” she said of the sandbagging. “It takes a village.”
By 11a.m., CBJ’s O’Shaughnessy paused to explain his role. He joined the city staff in early February as the emergency programs manager after devoting 10 years to a local nonprofit.
“I was looking for new ways to contribute to the community,” he said before waving another vehicle to a loading spot.
By noon, nearly 3,500 sandbags had been distributed to about 75 homeowners. The previous week twice as many sandbags had been given and filled at a location closer to Thunder Mountain Middle School. Saturday’s sandbag event was the fifth weekend scheduled to assist with self-serve flood bags as the volume of water accumulating in Suicide Basin continues to climb toward the level of release in previous floods.
The ice dam is currently expected to be full by mid-August, according to the most recent update at the National Weather Service’s Suicide Basin website. The update published Monday, July 21, states the water height in the basin is 1,290 feet, compared to 1,334 feet on the same date one year ago and 1,370 two years ago.
• Contact Laurie Craig at lauriec@juneauindependent.com.
