It’s “Go” time for hundreds of residents in the Mendenhall Valley in Juneau. The Mendenhall River is about to spill over its banks, as the ice and water held behind an ice dam at Suicide Basin has broken.
Already, the river was elevated and was currently in “Minor Flood Stage,” due to heavy rainfall from the previous three days. The Mendenhall River was expected to crest through Tuesday morning, before falling out of Flood Stage through Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday, but now that the ice dam has broken, residents are being advised to take immediate measures if they live in the historic flood zone. A crest is expected around Wednesday afternoon near record levels of somewhere between 16.3 and 16.8 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲: (𝟵𝟬𝟳) 𝟱𝟬𝟬-𝟬𝟴𝟵𝟬.
The non-emergency public flood information hotline will be staffed by trained volunteers, and will provide the latest information about sheltering, transportation, current conditions, and other questions residents may have as they prepare for an evacuation alert.
On Monday, City and Borough of Juneau staff and volunteers began distributing evacuation preparation notices to all homes in the potential flood inundation area. The notice includes shelter information, basic steps for protecting property, the flood information hotline number, and a link to Juneau’s flood readiness website at bit.ly/JuneauFloodReady.
Flooding expected late Tuesday through Wednesday. Officials are urging residents in the 17-foot lake level inundation zone to evacuate immediately and remain out of the area until an official “All Clear” is issued.
Officials warn that the flood threat is significant, at the “warning” level, and residents should check whether their homes or businesses are in the inundation zone using the 17-foot Mendenhall Lake map at JuneauFlood.com.
A Red Cross emergency shelter is open at Floyd Dryden Gymnasium, 3800 Mendenhall Loop Road. Pets cannot be housed there, but evacuees can contact Juneau Animal Rescue at (907) 789-6997 for pet sheltering assistance.
- North of Division Street: Travel north on Riverside Drive toward Mendenhall Loop Road and out of the inundation area.
- South of Division Street: Travel south on Riverside Drive, turn left on Stephen Richards Memorial Drive toward Mendenhall Loop Road.
- Rivercourt Way: Travel south on Riverside Drive toward Egan Drive.
- West side of Mendenhall River: Travel west on Mendenhall Loop Road toward Auke Bay, avoiding Back Loop Bridge.
- West of Brotherhood Bridge: Travel west on Glacier Highway toward Auke Bay.
Residents are being urged to avoid the Mendenhall River entirely during the flood warning. Approaching the river can endanger lives and interfere with evacuation and emergency operations, the city advised.
Live camera feeds of the river and updated safety information can be found at bit.ly/JuneauFloodReady.
For non-emergency questions, call the Flood Information Hotline at (907) 500-0890. For emergencies, dial 911.
Live camera of glacier:
I think it is time to start talking about the continuation of Government, if the State Capitol is going to flood every year and it slow down or stop State business.
It’s time to move the Capitol to Willow, or the roadway where we can be sure of continuation of Government.
Do we really want our State Government handcuffed by glacier floods every year?
What on earth are you talking about?
Mendenhall River flooding has nothing to do with the Capitol. The actual Capitol building is approx. 10 miles away from any flooding impacted area, not to mention that there is no legislative session occurring at this time, nor usually occurring during the time period when the glacial basin responsible for increased Mendenhall River levels releases.
So i ask again WHAT are you talking about?
Writing absurdly daft statements like that makes me question whether you have the requisite intelligence to successfully run an anti-RCV campaign. You are certainly not doing yourself any favors in terms of public perception. Try again.