A request for a federal assessment of damage resulting from the record flooding of the Mendenhall River earlier this month was made by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, as a step toward requesting federal aid, according to an official announcement Tuesday.
The governor is requesting the Federal Emergency Management Agency “deploy to Juneau to conduct an assessment of the flood damage to homes and property,” according to the announcement. “This joint assessment, done in coordination with the state, will gather the information necessary to prepare a formal request for federal disaster assistance to the President.”
[Governor issues state disaster declaration for Suicide Basin flood]
The flooding on Aug. 5 caused by the release of water from Suicide Basin above the face of the Mendenhall Glacier partially or completely destroyed three homes, resulted in about 15 additional residences being condemned as uninhabitable (a six-residence condo has since been declared safe), and caused significant damage to about two dozen other homes.
The flooding also damaged vehicles, boats, city infrastructure and other large items, along with eroding massive sections of riverbanks that have posed further risks of items and debris coming loose.
Federal agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration and Environmental Protection Agency have already engaged in floor response activities following requests from City and Borough of Juneau and state officials. Dunleavy declared the flooding a state disaster early last week for both individuals and public entities.
“The flood damage in Juneau is devastating,” said Bryan Fisher, director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in a prepared statement. “We will continue to utilize all our state disaster recovery programs to help flood survivors and will coordinate with all available volunteer and donations organizations. We will also seek to use every federal disaster recovery program available.”
The time frame for a FEMA visit and possible subsequent federal aid are subject to a number of variables, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state emergency management division.
“Every disaster has a different determination time,” he said. “Because the Juneau event is kind of confined to one area and not kind of widespread they’ll be able to do those damage assessments and compile that information a little faster.”
Federal disaster relief response was rapid after Typhoon Merbok caused widespread damage along the western coast of Alaska last fall, while the response to river flooding in a number of areas this spring is still pending, Zidek said.
Zidek said additional state officials are scheduled to visit Juneau next week to help with requests for state disaster aid. People can also register for state disaster assistance by calling (844) 445-7131 or visiting Ready.Alaska.Gov/IA.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
