The latest news and information from your Alaska news station.
Month: July 2026
Dwayne Johnson as a live-action version of Moana’s Maui—luscious flowing locks and all. What could be better than this?
Though Auli’i Cravalho handed over the strong-willed titular character’s…
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Kam scoops grounder for Witchita
Kim Durnin prepares to field a grounder for Wichita State. He committed to the Shockers out of high school and spent two years there before transferring to Mizzou.
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Levi Banks didn’t overstay his welcome as a Big Brother houseguest.
In fact, the 28-year-old pulled out of the 28th iteration of the CBS series early, turning down his spot in the house just as…
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UPDATE on Fatal Glenn Highway crash
UPDATE: Anchorage police say the crash involved four vehicles after a Ford F-150 crossed the median into southbound traffic. Two people were killed and one child was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Fatal crash shuts down Glenn…
NOTN- Local, tribal, state and federal officials say Juneau is better protected but still at risk as the community braces for another glacial lake outburst flood from Suicide Basin in early August.
City Manager Katie Koester at a media briefing this morning, emphasized to reporters and media outlets that the purpose of the meeting as well as upcoming community events surrounding flood protection work is all about keeping residents informed and prepared ahead of this year’s Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, or GLOF.
She said the key takeaway however, was the need to evacuate during the event.
“We’ve done a lot to prepare for this event and we really appreciate the partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers in installing essentially between the city and the Army Corps $45 million worth of protective infrastructure for this year.” Koester said, “Nevertheless, it’s an unpredictable event, and if we have a breach, it will be a flash flood, and it will be very dangerous.”
The National Weather Service says Suicide Basin water levels are tracking close to 2024. Senior service hydrologist Aaron Jacobs said the basin is about 90 feet below the spillway and is most likely to fill between Aug. 1 and Aug. 9.
Forecasts point to a major flood similar to last year if the basin releases at full volume.
“We’re very close to the levels that we were seeing in 2024 and typically we’ll see about a three foot rise in normal inflow into the basin, and so right now we are about 90 feet below that spillway.” Jacobs said, “Right now that’s about 30 days out before we could see a full basin, and on our monitoring page we do update the conditions weekly, and if we see any other conditions change, we will update it more frequently.”
The City and Borough of Juneau has expanded its evacuation advisory zone to cover just over 1,900 residences, up from about 1,000 last year, based on new evacuation maps that account for blocked roads and responder access. Residents will be guided through a “ready, set, go” framework with Wireless Emergency Alerts, siren-style phone notifications and door hangers in affected neighborhoods.
“In years past, the CBJ and Unified Command have used inundation maps to communicate the risk from from potential flooding and the need to evacuate this year.” Said Emergency Programs Manager Ryan O’Shaughnessy, “We’ve worked really closely with all of our partners to plan for all scenarios, including the potential failure of the HESCO system. Our evacuation map this year, you’ll notice, has a lot more straight lines than an inundation map, and is generally aligned with streets and infrastructure, and the reason for that is we wanted to include areas that may not be directly inundated, but where access or travel, including by first responders, may be compromised. So in other words, if we wouldn’t be able to get to you during a breach scenario, or if you may not be able to get to safety, we are recommending that you evacuate.”
Engineers say roughly $45 million in temporary flood protection including HESCO barriers and a large pump system is now in place along the river through a partnership between the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“We have a very high level of confidence in the HESCO barriers, but this is a dynamic event… we really want to stress for folks to evacuate during this event,” said O’Shaughnessy.
Information on evacuation maps, sandbag events, and alerts is available on the Juneau Flood Ready page at juneau.gov.
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Shorts That Give You Legs For Days
Nordstrom Rack’s Clear the Rack sale may be winding down, but there are still so many designer deals that we’re loving!
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A U.S. Geological Survey worker views the flooding Mendenhall River from the Brotherhood Bridge following the glacial outburst event on Aug. 13, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Officials and residents in Alaska’s capital city are preparing for what has become an annual summer glacial outburst flooding event that threatens the densely-populated Mendenhall Valley. Similar to past years, flooding is expected in early August.
Federal, state, tribal and local agencies are closely monitoring the Mendehall Glacier, where an ice-dammed lake known as Suicide Basin fills annually with glacial melt that eventually bursts and releases billions of gallons of flood water down the valley through the Mendenhall River.
The City and Borough of Juneau is partnering with the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, as well as state and federal partners in preparations, then monitoring and responding to the flooding event.
Last year, the river flooded to a record-breaking 16.65 feet on Aug. 13, but nearby neighborhoods were mostly spared and damage was minimal due to close monitoring, early warnings and semipermanent flood barriers installed along the riverfront.
This year, crews with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City and Borough of Juneau have fortified and built up the flood barriers to withstand a flood about 30% larger than last summer. Crews are also installing industrial pumps in the next few weeks to pump out water that seeps through the barriers and to prevent flooding through city storm drains.
Officials estimate the basin will be full sometime between Aug. 1 through 9. Historically, there have been one to six days from the time the water level in the basin peaks to when it begins to release, officials said.
Updates on the filling Suicide Basin, forecasting, flood levels and evacuation maps will be available on a public Juneau Glacial Flood Dashboard. Officials are asking Mendenhall Valley residents to make a plan to voluntarily evacuate. A wireless cell phone alert will be issued to all area residents when the flooding begins.
Officials have planned for an evacuation advisory for roughly double the number of homes advised last year — roughly 1,900 residences compared to 1,000 residences, as well as businesses, schools and transportation corridors.
Ryan O’Shaughnessy, the emergency program manager with the City and Borough of Juneau said in an online media briefing on Thursday the evacuation advisory is to prepare for a potential scenario where flood waters breach the flood barriers, known as HESCO barriers.
“We wanted to include areas that may not be directly inundated, but where access or travel, including by first responders, may be compromised. So, in other words, if we wouldn’t be able to get to you during a breach scenario, or if you may not be able to get to safety, we are recommending that you evacuate,” he said.
O’Shaughnessy said officials have modeled many scenarios at different flood levels, and there will be frequent public alerts as flood waters rise.
“We have a very high level of confidence in the HESCO barriers, but this is a dynamic event,” he said. “It’s a natural disaster, and we can’t predict every element of it, and to help us protect the rest of the community, our first responders, and everyone involved, we’d really like to ask the community to evacuate.”
Evacuation will be advised and not mandatory, unless Gov. Mike Dunleavy authorizes mandatory evacuation, O’Shaughnessy said.
He said the City and Borough of Juneau have requested the governor issue a preemptive disaster declaration, like last year, and Dunleavy’s office is currently reviewing the request.
Public flood preparedness events are taking place every Saturday in July, where residents can review flood maps, get emergency tips, and collect free sandbags to fortify their homes against flooding. The next event is July 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dimond Park Field House.
Residents can monitor Suicide Basin through a National Weather Service monitoring page. Officials recommend signing up for emergency alerts and reviewing Mendenhall River inundation maps. KTOO Public Media has set up several livestreams to monitor the flooding event. An emergency shelter hosted by the Red Cross will be set up, like last year, at the former Floyd Dryden Middle School site.
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