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Centennial Hall shelter closing after evacuation advisory lifted

By: Grace Dumas, News of the North

The emergency shelter at Centennial Hall closed this morning after days of continuous operation during the avalanche and evacuation advisories, with city officials and relief organizations offering thanks to the staff and volunteers who provided round-the-clock support for more than 50 displaced residents.

The shelter was opened last Friday as a precaution for the elevated avalanche risk, and volunteers and staff worked hard to create a safe place to stay for community members affected by evacuation advisories. Operations were supported through a partnership between the City and Borough of Juneau, the American Red Cross of Alaska, Juneau Arts and Humanities, and numerous volunteers.

“The Red Cross is the sheltering partner for this disaster,” said Britta Tonnessen, community disaster program manager with the American Red Cross of Alaska in a statement release on social media by CBJ, they were also able to accommodate pets through collaboration with Juneau Animal Rescue.

The shelter remained open 24 hours a day throughout the advisory period, staffed by volunteers and professionals who coordinated meals, sleeping arrangements and general care for the community..

“We’re continuing to actively monitor the avalanche risk and all the slide pass in close partnership with the DOT.” Said emergency Manager for CBJ, Ryan O’Shaughnessy, “Right now, we believe that the risk is acceptable for folks to return to their homes.”

Information about ongoing avalanche conditions and emergency preparedness remains available through the City and Borough of Juneau

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Juneau officials maintain evacuation advisory for Behrends slide path

NOTN- Juneau officials are urging residents living within the Behrends avalanche path to continue evacuating and are advising the public to limit activity in the area as avalanche risk remains elevated.

Deputy City Manager Robert Barr said the city continues to recommend that people avoid stopping or parking within the Behrends avalanche path, citing ongoing uncertainty about snowpack stability and limited visibility at higher elevations due to the rainy and windy weather conditions.

Barr emphasized that the avalanche path shown on CBJ maps represents the maximum modeled extent of a worst-case avalanche event.

“It is important to note that the Behrends avalanche slide path, as shown in the CBJ avalanche maps, represents the maximum extent of the largest model avalanche event, meaning it is unlikely than an avalanche would reach the outer reaches of the map, that includes Egan drive.” Barr Said.

While officials say it is unlikely that an avalanche would reach Egan Drive, emergency planners prepare for the most severe scenario.

“Our emergency programs and responders prepare for the worst.” Barr said, “That means having critical resources staged on both sides of town, as well as having plans for their partners to respond and care for emergency medical transportation and other needs, we also want to make sure that the public has all the information we have so that they can make their own decisions about their potential risk.”

Barr noted that forecasting avalanche risk remains complex, particularly because weather conditions have prevented crews from visually inspecting the snowpack near the top of the Behrends slide path. Barr said information about the volume and stability of snow in the upper reaches of the slide zone is limited.

“Predicting and forecasting risk is complicated and can be an exercise in making decisions with incomplete information.” Barr said.

City teams were monitoring conditions overnight, so far there has been no major release, and the evacuation advisory remains in effect this morning.

Officials said additional information will be shared once crews are able to safely access and visually inspect the snowpack, which could happen later this week depending on weather conditions.

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Juneau issues avalanche evacuation advisory

NOTN- City officials issued a high-risk avalanche evacuation advisory today as worsening weather conditions raised the likelihood of avalanches across all known slide paths.

The advisory, updated at 10:30 a.m., urges residents in at-risk areas to evacuate as increased snowfall, warmer temperatures and several inches of rain forecast at higher elevations are significantly heightening avalanche danger.

Officials stressed that the situation is rapidly evolving and could escalate further as weather conditions deteriorate.

Emergency response crews are staged and prepared to respond in the event of an avalanche at Thane road where DOT was scheduled to close the road at the avalanche gates at noon.

An emergency shelter is available at Centennial Hall, where the American Red Cross is prepared to provide mass care services, including meals, once formally activated. City officials said resources are in place to support evacuees should conditions worsen.

Pet sheltering is also available at Centennial Hall. Juneau Animal Rescue is offering additional emergency pet sheltering through its Safe-Keeping Program, and JAR and KTOO have created resources to help pet owners prepare for emergencies.

“‘It’s a substantial portion of downtown.” Said Deputy City Manager Robert Barr, “Downtown is the area that that we’ve been able to map. That doesn’t mean avalanche doesn’t exist elsewhere. folks should just be aware.”

Authorities urged residents to take precautions during the period of elevated avalanche risk, including avoiding travel beneath known avalanche paths, following all road and trail closures, and not stopping in avalanche runout zones. Residents were also advised to closely monitor official alerts and updates.

After storms or avalanche activity, officials warned people to stay clear of debris piles and runout areas and to wait for official reopening notices before resuming normal travel. Any observed avalanche activity should be reported to authorities.

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Avalanche advisory prompts Thane road closure, schools closed as atmospheric river moves into the region

Photo Courtesy of CBJ

NOTN- All Juneau School District (JSD) schools will be closed today January 9, due to the weather.

A statement was released by JSD yesterday evening saying that for the safety of students, staff and families all classes, meetings and activities are cancelled.

City and Borough of Juneau engineers are continuing to monitor the roofs at CBJ facilities during the closures.

Thane Road will be closed at the avalanche gates beginning at noon today due to a high risk of avalanches. An avalanche advisory for all known slide paths also went into effect yesterday evening, and officials warn that hazardous conditions are expected to intensify over the coming days.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced the emergency closure for Thane Road, the closure is scheduled to be re-evaluated at 8 a.m. Saturday.

“The avalanche hazard is expected to remain high over the next few days,” DOT said in their social media post, “If a natural avalanche reaches the roadway, it is unlikely DOT&PF will be able to safely remove the avalanche debris until the hazard can be minimized from mitigation work or once the hazard has decreased naturally.”

At the same time, the City and Borough of Juneau warned that avalanche risk across the Mount Juneau slide paths remains high and is expected to significantly increase over the next few days.

An atmospheric system bringing warmer air and precipitation has raised concerns about destabilizing the deep snowpack that has built up over weeks of heavy snowfall. While the situation does not currently warrant an evacuation advisory, city officials said preparations are underway.

Officials said an emergency alert would be issued if an evacuation advisory is called.

Authorities are continuing to monitor avalanche conditions closely and emphasized that public safety remains the priority.

The city is bracing for heavy rain and potential the for more flooding of roadways and storm drains as an atmospheric river is expected to impact much Southeast Alaska into the weekend, weather officials are saying Juneau will see a transition to rain later today.

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CBJ Avalanche Advisory issued for all known slide paths

Avalanche advisory map, courtesy of CBJ

CBJ- New snowfall, warming temperatures and high winds in the forecast are elevating avalanche risk in all known slide paths (see map).

This is not an evacuation advisory; however, conditions can change quickly and with little warning. CBJ will send out an emergency alert if an evacuation advisory is called. CBJ is prepositioning resources to prepare for potential emergency sheltering (Centennial Hall) as well as additional response resources should they be required.

DOT&PF reminds drivers to use caution while travelling on Thane Road and not to stop in the known avalanche zone.

CBJ will continue issue alerts like these if conditions worsen or major changes are observed. You can find current hazard levels at bit.ly/CBJavalanche.

This is not an evacuation advisory. Residents should know their risk, remain alert, have a go-bag ready, prepare household evacuation plans and stay signed up for emergency alerts.

For questions contact emergencyresponse@juneau.gov.

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