Neighbors come together in preparation for seasonal glacial lake outburst flood

Juneau residents living in the flood zone gathered at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Thursday evening to discuss how they are protecting their homes and planning — or not planning — for evacuations.

The Juneau Flood Solution Advocates (JFSA), a volunteer organization formed in response to the 2024 outburst flood, held its monthly meeting to share tips and address concerns. According to its mission statement, the group is dedicated to supporting neighbors by assessing needs, mobilizing resources, and coordinating volunteers to safeguard properties and help affected families.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recommended HESCO barriers as a short-term mitigation measure following the 16-foot record flood that occurred last August. Outside the library, the barriers extended along the Mendenhall River adjacent to Dimond Park. On May 12, the City and Borough of Juneau chose to extend Phase One of the barriers to protect city and school infrastructure, including the library where Thursday’s meeting was held.

The barriers are expected to provide up to a decade of protection while the Army Corps of Engineers studies a long-term solution with the City and Borough of Juneau. Alaska’s congressional delegation has called the decade-long timetable unacceptable.

On May 16, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) received commitments from Adam Telle, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head USACE, that the process to find a solution would be expedited, but without any specifics about how long it would take.

Debbie Penrose-Fischer, who leads JFSA, said there needs to be clear, direct communication from the USACE, along with a follow-up.

“Who’s going to stay on track of that?” she said. “To say, ‘Can you speed this up?’ So I don’t know. I know that we have their support, but I don’t know what happens next. I know they haven’t forgotten us.”

Rep. Andi Story (D-Juneau) represents the Valley district and attended the meeting. Juneau Assembly member Paul Kelly also participated. He said the city is open to holding more town halls to discuss future mitigation measures.

Even with the temporary HESCOs in place along the Mendenhall River, the city is still recommending evacuations. Kelly said he thinks the HESCOs are a good initial plan, but people need to be ready to go. The response from the 14 homeowners at the meeting was mixed.

“I feel like I’ve held a lot of community members’ hands through this and said, ‘OK, let’s talk about it,’ because they don’t want to talk about the flood,” Penrose-Fischer said. “It was traumatic, and some people are only just recovered, and to think about it again is just PTSD. They just don’t want to. So a lot of people are just not thinking about it. They’re just not preparing. And if you ask, they’re just going to stay home, they got the HESCOs, it’s going to be OK, but it just might not be.”

Neighbors helping neighbors

Lori Stedman, who lives on Marion Drive, is part of a neighborhood group that shares community resources and discusses the HESCOs.

“Our neighborhood is working together because five of our neighbors flooded, even though we’re at the beginning of the HESCO barriers,” she said.

Stedman picked up a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Alert Radio for a neighbor who couldn’t make the meeting. The Juneau Lions Club provided the radios. She said she’s decorated the HESCO barriers on her property with painted rocks, driftwood, and forget-me-nots.

She and her husband, Mike, said they have about 130 sandbags and do not plan to evacuate.

“I woke up to the sound of the water,” Lori Stedman said, reflecting on last year.

When Suicide Basin begins to drain, there are typically 24 hours to prepare. CBJ and National Weather Service Juneau send out warnings. Flooding in the Mendenhall Lake and River doesn’t begin until water starts draining out underneath the glacier.

Residents collaborating at the meeting explained how they will protect their homes, such as blocking windows, doors, and vents with sandbags and plastic. Penrose-Fischer said she would reach out to Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé’s basketball, football, and hockey teams for help stacking sandbags the day the drainage begins.

“We’re starting to run out of time,” Mike Stedman said.

If the rate of rise in the basin remains around four feet per day, it would result in a full basin around Aug. 14, according to the Suicide Basin monitoring page published by the weather service. However, the inflow rate into the basin can fluctuate throughout the summer due to periods of above-normal temperatures along the ice field as well as rainfall events.

NWSJ is releasing educational videos about the outburst floods, including how to find data, terminology, and other relevant information.

Emily Way residents Jessica and Jason Nardi had 3.25 feet of water inside their house last year and lost their car due to water damage.

“I don’t know if we can even pile that many sandbags up,” Jason Nardi said.

They are currently counting points of water entry and will cover those areas with sandbags and plastic, including doors, windows, and vents. Jason Nardi said the water reached just below the windows last year, which are low to the ground. They plan to evacuate to save their car — and said maybe they would also try to save their new washer and dryer. Last year, their garage was damaged in the flood and flipped the washer on its side.

“I don’t know how we’re going to prevent it,” he said. “We’re just keeping things up off the ground.”

Penrose-Fischer said she is working on a project called “Eyes on the River,” which would install one or two solar-powered, night-vision cameras on private property in key locations along the Mendenhall River. She lives on Gee Street and plans to evacuate.

She described the moment she realized she had to flee her home last year: “It’s dark, it was surreal, and you see all this water, and it was kind of like, ‘Is this what I think this is?’”

A GoFundMe has been set up for Penrose-Fisher’s “positive and proactive” project, a video livestream for the public before, during, and after the declared outburst period. She said she has contacted the Suicide Basin research team and received an eager response.

Residents at Thursday’s meeting described last year’s rush of the river’s icy flooding last year as unnerving. They said the HESCO barriers blocking their view of Mendenhall River will make the sound even more unsettling.

“You’re not alone,” Penrose-Fischer told those worried about their Mendenhall Valley family members, pets, homes, and belongings.

She said Juneau Flood Solution Advocates supports residents in the flood zone, and encourages them to reach out through the organization’s website.

• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.