Current:Home > NewsSevere flooding from glacier outburst damages over 100 homes in Alaska's capital-InfoLens
Severe flooding from glacier outburst damages over 100 homes in Alaska's capital
View Date:2024-12-23 11:51:21
- A glacial outburst flood from the Mendenhall Glacier began Monday, causing water levels to reach up to 16 feet in Juneau by Tuesday.
- The glacier's Suicide Basin began to peak on Aug. 1 after July saw twice the amount of rain the area usually receives.
- Glacial lake outbursts like this are spawned when basins drain rapidly, something Juneau officials compared to "pulling out the plug in a full bathtub."
An outburst of flooding from a glacier brought severe flooding to Alaska's capital, with more than 100 homes experiencing damage.
The glacial outburst flood from the Mendenhall Glacier began Monday, causing water levels to reach up to 16 feet in Juneau by Tuesday, according to city officials. There have been no reports of injuries in the city of about und 31,000 people as of Wednesday.
The glacier's Suicide Basin began to peak on Aug. 1 after July saw twice the amount of rain the area usually receives, Juneau officials confirmed in a news release. Officials say that water from Mendenhall Lake significantly poured into the Mendenhall River by Sunday, leading to evacuation warnings for residents on Monday. The lake's water levels declined over 400 feet from the outburst primarily between Monday and Tuesday, officials said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy declared a state disaster emergency Tuesday, increasing emergency response efforts and allowing communities to reimburse emergency response costs and repair damaged infrastructure.
"I am grateful no one has been injured or killed by this morning’s outburst flood. Emergency responders and managers have done an outstanding job keeping their residents safe," Dunleavy said. "In addition to the Disaster Declaration, I have directed all state agencies to support the community as they deal with this major flooding."
A rise in glacial lake outbursts since 2011
Glacial lake outbursts like this are spawned when basins drain rapidly, something Juneau officials compared to "pulling out the plug in a full bathtub."
Since 2011, the state has seen more outbursts primarily due to climate change, a University of Alaska Southeast environmental science professor Eran Hood told the Associated Press last year. A rise in global temperatures generated by fossil fuel pollution is resulting in glaciers like the Mendenhall and Suicide.
Glacier melt in a major Alaskan icefield has accelerated and could reach an irreversible tipping point earlier than previously thought, according to a scientific study published in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Communications last month. The state is home to some of Earth's largest icefields, and their melting is a major contributor to sea-level rise slowly putting some of the world's coastal areas underwater.
"It’s incredibly worrying that our research found a rapid acceleration since the early 21st century in the rate of glacier loss across the Juneau icefield," study lead author Bethan Davies, a glaciologist in the United Kingdom's Newcastle University, said in a statement.
Juneau experienced destructive flooding last August
Juneau's troubles come a year after the town grappled with destructive flooding that collapsed at least two homes into the waterway and prompted evacuations. Water levels from this year's outburst reached over a foot higher than last year's.
Officials noted that last year's glacier outburst and flooding was notably quicker than previous ones.
Similarly, water from the Suicide Basin gushed into Mendenhall Lake, down the Mendenhall River and flowed into the town.
Contributing: Doyle Rice
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Dogecoin soars after Trump's Elon Musk announcement: What to know about the cryptocurrency
- Dodgers' Freddie Freeman leaves NLDS Game 2 against Padres with ankle discomfort
- Supreme Court won’t hear appeal from Elon Musk’s X platform over warrant in Trump case
- Don Francisco gushes over Marcello Hernández's 'SNL' spoof of his variety show
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
- From rescue to recovery: The grim task in flood-ravaged western North Carolina
- Opinion: Kalen DeBoer won't soon live down Alabama's humiliating loss to Vanderbilt
- Opinion: Nick Saban asked important college football question, and Vanderbilt offers a loud answer
- Jennifer Garner Details Navigating Grief 7 Months After Death of Her Dad William Garner
- How did the Bills lose to Texans? Baffling time management decisions cost Buffalo
Ranking
- Horoscopes Today, November 11, 2024
- Connecticut Sun force winner-take-all Game 5 with win over Minnesota Lynx
- Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Americans for microRNA find
- South Korean woman sues government and adoption agency after her kidnapped daughter was sent abroad
- Katherine Schwarzenegger Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Pratt
- Cardi B Claps Back on Plastic Surgery Claims After Welcoming Baby No. 3
- Amari Cooper pushes through frustrations, trade rumors as Browns continue to slide
- Eviction prevention in Los Angeles helps thousands, including landlords
Recommendation
-
The charming Russian scene-stealers of 'Anora' are also real-life best friends
-
Rosie O'Donnell says she's 'like a big sister' to Menendez brothers Lyle and Erik
-
When do new episodes of 'Love is Blind' come out? Day, time, cast, where to watch
-
A man and a woman are arrested in an attack on a former New York governor
-
SNL's Chloe Fineman Says Rude Elon Musk Made Her Burst Into Tears as Show Host
-
Billie Jean King named grand marshal for the 136th Rose Parade on Jan. 1
-
Trump and Harris mark somber anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
-
Old Navy’s Cozy Szn Sale Includes $24 Sweaters, $15 Joggers & More Fall-Ready Staples Up to 68% Off