Juneau’s Aug 6 flood impacted 290 homes, so they brought in three dogs to give comfort to residents

By
Suzanne Downing
-
20

Three crisis canine teams arrived in Juneau last week, with dogs that are trained to provide comfort and emotional support to residents after the Aug. 6 flood created varying degrees of disaster for 290 homeowners.

Juneau is already the home to over 9,000 dogs, so what’ three more?

The comfort canines, not to be confused with therapy dogs, will be visiting the flood-impacted neighborhoods in the Mendenhall Valley, going to schools, disaster assistance centers, and any shelters that remain open. The dogs will be in town until Aug. 21.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service wrote an “acknowledgement” of the event, which occurred out of a well-known hazard that could have been mitigated over the past years, rather than allowed to continue to seasonally create flooding. Suicide Basin is a geologic feature where water and ice get backed up in a large pond, and then releases in a gush when the pressure is great enough. The local, state, and federal governments have taken no action to prevent this disaster, although they have had years to do so.

All the areas that were closed in the Mendenhall Glacier area that are under the Forest Service’s jurisdiction are are now reopened, and campers, tourists, and locals are returning to the places that were recently underwater. Nearby, homeowners are tearing out sheetrock and insulation in a race against time as fall approaches.

The Forest Service is also focused on “supporting emotional and mental well-being of our employees and has organized a team ‘check-in’ that will include a mental health counselor for those team members who feel they would benefit from information about stress, trauma and grief,” the regional forester said in a statement.

20 COMMENTS

  1. Comfort canines are specially trained to wag their tales and lick you in the face. Therapy dogs just overbill you.

  3. Just another band-aid… like delayed permit fees for remedial work last year. No real solutions like a levee around Mendenhall Lake to turn it into a surge basin to manage the water release. After all, we certainly don’t want to tamper with the so-called “Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area”… even if the glacier itself is just a few years away from disappearing altogether. We all know the leftists consider ground out there is sacred; far more important than the well-being of thousands of residents in Mendenhall Valley as well as those of the entire community of Juneau. Let’s be honest, if the Mendenhall Valley must be evacuated next year then the entire borough of Juneau will go into an economic tailspin. The time for real action is overdue. A levee must be built yesterday.

  4. Nice tongue and cheek there Suzanne. This year was worse than last which had entire big houses falling in the river. The fact the powers that be have not made this a major issue to deal with is pushing insane. But we got 3 extra dogs out of the deal.

  5. While I have not lived in Juneau in a number of years, I would be more comfortable if a source could be cited for the proposition that Suicide Basin is a “well-known hazard.” Perhaps it has popped up on the radar scope in recent years but in the old days the situation was not identified. Admittedly, I am old.

      • Thank you. A point that bears repeating is that most of the homes that were flooded this year were built in 70s and 80s, or decades before the phenomenon arose.

        Certainly, mitigation efforts could have been undertaken since 2011, but folks that want to imply that the homes should not have been built are out of bounds. I bet there are a few walking around Juneau with this delusion.

  6. A little unfair to blame the government for not preventing the flood. The engineering of any possible solution will be quite a challenge.

    • They do challenging engineered projects as a matter of routine; have done for centuries. The Mississippi River is lined with levees all the way to New Orleans. The USACOE is fully capable of controlling flood waters; they simply need to see fit to do it. A levee around Mendenhall Lake and perhaps further beyond it is the most practical and feasible solution. It can happen fast with local resources and talent.

      • Dredging the river and using the fill to strengthen the banks is an additional option.
        Additionally, along Meander Way, straighten, unite, and excavate the river’s bends.

    • They spent tax dollars on politicians Xmas list first then maybe some pennies will roll down hill to the flood control project.

  8. Suzanne, is this bizarre stories day or what? First the hysterical lady shrieking about Rep. David Eastman, now the three dogs sent to a flood! What’s next I wonder?

    • One of those dogs visited our place and it sh*t on our front lawn. Just adding insult to injury, I guess…

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