A volunteer center providing support for those affected by the Mendenhall River flood will continue operating at least through Sunday at Melvin Park.
The Melvin Park volunteer center will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The Salvation Army has food and drinks available for residents impacted by the flood and for volunteers from 12-6 p.m.
“We’re starting to see requests change a little bit,” Ryan O’Shaughnessy, the volunteer center’s coordinator, said. “The initial requests were, like, ‘I just need to get stuff out’ which is still a very large volume of the requests that we’re getting, but there were virtually no requests for cleaning or packing on Thursday. We’re starting to see that small portion grow, but the bulk of the requests are still for packing up insulation.”
The biggest need remains removing water from crawlspaces. He said some residents have asked volunteers if they should pull up their floors or not. O’Shaughnessy said a list of contractors is available on the city’s flood response page.
He said the center can provide the correct personal protective equipment such as Tyvek suits, gloves, masks, kneepads and headlamps. He suggested people wear dirty clothes and sturdy shoes. Entering crawlspaces will be physically intensive work.
If people have signed up online to volunteer, they may want to check their email spam folders for additional information, volunteer Andrea Dewees said. She said they need people committing to three to four hours of hauling wet fiberglass insulation from crawlspaces. The work consists of putting the insulation into bags and hauling the bags out of the crawlspace and onto the curb for pickup.
If someone is unable to help with pulling insulation, O’Shaughnessy said the center may be able to coordinate a different task for them or donations are welcome.
The City and Borough of Juneau’s and the state’s emergency operation centers donated cleaning supplies, dehumidifiers, fans, and hoses. The volunteer center has received donations of more than 100 fans and 100 dehumidifiers, some provided by community members, O’Shaughnessy said.
“We need more,” he said.
O’Shaughnessy said since Thursday participation has increased significantly.
As of Thursday morning, 35 volunteers had signed up and 26 requests for assistance from impacted homeowners had been received through United Way of Southeast Alaska’s online form.
On Saturday morning, about 80 homeowners asked for help and approximately 250 volunteers signed up online or in person.
Groups of three to five people were dispatched by volunteer center coordinators per damaged home for cleanup in three-hour shifts. As of 11:30 a.m. Saturday, 15 houses had been helped since opening at 9 a.m.
He said it will be a long road to recovery and people have a wide range of different needs.
“It’s terrible when these things happen, but it’s really, really impressive, just the way that Juneau came together to help people,” O’Shaughnessy said.
In other flood-related developments as of Saturday afternoon:
• Hazardous waste pickup is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Sunday, according to CBJ. Residents are asked to separate hazardous materials from the rest of their debris and move the hazardous waste piles to right-of-way areas so crews can collect the items. A list of hazmat items is at bit.ly/4dGO3Zt (“when in doubt, put it out,” the CBJ announcement states) and full cleanup information is available at juneau.org/manager/flood-response.
• Collection of construction and demolition waste, as well as large appliances such as refrigerators, is now in progress. Such items should also be placed in right-of-way areas.
• The State Emergency Operations Center requested an additional 20 Alaska Organized Militia members to support recovery and cleanup efforts, for a total of 60 AKOM members from the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia and the Alaska State Defense Force.
• An emergency shelter at the Sandpiper Café operated by the Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority is scheduled to close Friday, Aug. 16. Tribal members needing additional services can call (907) 463-7100.
• Affordable Auto Sales announced it is offering free 30-day car rentals to people in affected flood zones, with one per household who can provide proof of address and an indication of need such as a photo of a submerged car.
• A $50,000 donation to the Juneau Community Foundation to assist flood victims was announced Friday by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
• U.S. Rep Mary Peltola is scheduled to visit Juneau on Sunday to meet with local leaders and residents about federal aid and other response measures. Both of Alaska’s U.S. senators and Gov. Mike Dunleavy have also visited during the days following the flood.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.
