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Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Temporary barriers spared Alaska's capital from severe flooding. A long-term solution is elusive
The glacial flooding that sent residents of Alaska's capital city scrambling this week has become an annual ordeal for those who live along the picturesque river that winds from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. This year, a giant wall of reinforced sandbags erected with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held back the worst of the flooding in Juneau, to residents' great relief. The damage was nothing like what happened the last two years, when flooding was rampant and some homes washed away. But the wall is merely a temporary barrier. The effort to devise a permanent solution is complicated by what scientists don't yet know about how human-caused global warming will impact the yearly outbursts of water from an ice dam at the glacier. Juneau is just one of many communities around the globe struggling to engineer a way out of the worst damage from climate change. 'We can't keep doing this,' said Ann Wilkinson Lind, who lives on the banks of the Mendenhall River. 'We need a levee or some other permanent fix. ... This is an emergency situation that can't take 10 years for this study and that study and every other study. It needs to be done now.' The Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles from Juneau, home to 30,000 people in southeast Alaska, and is a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity and easy access on walking trails. Homes on the city's outskirts are within miles of Mendenhall Lake, which sits below the glacier, and many front the Mendenhall River. The glacial outburst flooding from the Mendenhall is itself a phenomenon caused by climate change, which is thinning glaciers around the world. A glacier nearby retreated, leaving behind a large bowl — Suicide Basin — that fills each spring and summer with rainwater and snowmelt dammed by the Mendenhall. When that water builds up enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam, enters Mendenhall Lake, and flows down the Mendenhall River toward Juneau. Flooding from the basin has been an annual concern since 2011 and has gotten worse, with new water-level records being set each of the last three years. City officials responded this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install the temporary barrier along roughly 2.5 miles of riverbank. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant, reinforced sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. The Juneau Assembly required homeowners in the flood zone to cover 40% of the barrier's cost — about $6,300 each over 10 years. Additionally, a handful of homeowners were asked to chip in $50,000 toward reinforcing the river bank. About one-quarter of the residents formally objected, not enough to torpedo the project. This week, some water seeped between the bastions or through pipes underneath them that are designed to allow water to drain from yards into the river. Valves in the pipes are supposed to prevent floodwater from entering. But officials uniformly called the project a success, while acknowledging that some homes were damaged and that the barrier needs to be further extended. The barriers are designed to last for up to 10 years to allow time for a long-term solution. But questions abound. The capacity of Suicide Basin seems to be growing, and scientists aren't sure what a worst-case flood might look like. They predict that within a few decades, the Mendenhall itself will retreat far enough that it no longer acts as a dam, eliminating the risk of a flood outburst from Suicide Basin. But the persistent melting could also form other glacially dammed lakes that could function in a similar way. 'There's still a lot to be learned,' said Nate Ramsey, Juneau's engineering and public works deputy director. 'We have to assume this will be an annual event for the next many, many years. Is something like a temporary, soil-filled basket levy the best we can do over that period of time? ... We've got to keep looking for a long-term solution.' The Army Corps of Engineers has nearly $5 million set aside to begin working on a long-term solution, which for now largely consists of data collection. 'It's like trying to solve a math problem when the variables are always changing,' Army Corps Brig. Gen. Clete Goetz said Thursday. 'Seeing the problem is not the hard part. Engineering the solution is the challenge. That's what we're here for.' Johnson, Rush and Attanasio write for the Associated Press. Johnson and Attanasio contributed to this report from Seattle. Rush reported from Portland, Ore.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Science
- Winnipeg Free Press
Temporary barriers spared Alaska's capital from severe flooding. A long-term solution is elusive
The glacial flooding that sent residents of Alaska's capital city scrambling this week has become an annual ordeal for those who live along the picturesque river that winds from the nearby Mendenhall Glacier. This year, a giant wall of reinforced sandbags erected with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held back the worst of the flooding in Juneau, to residents' great relief. The damage was nothing like what happened the last two years, when flooding was rampant and some homes washed away. But the wall is merely a temporary barrier. The effort to devise a permanent solution is complicated by what scientists don't yet know about how human-caused global warming will impact the yearly outbursts of water from an ice dam at the glacier. Juneau is just one of many communities around the globe struggling to engineer a way out of the worst damage from climate change. 'We can't keep doing this,' said Ann Wilkinson Lind, who lives on the banks of the Mendenhall River. 'We need a levee or some other permanent fix. … This is an emergency situation that can't take 10 years for this study and that study and every other study. It needs to be done now.' The Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Juneau, home to 30,000 people in southeast Alaska, and is a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity and easy access on walking trails. Homes on the city's outskirts are within miles of Mendenhall Lake, which sits below the glacier, and many front the Mendenhall River. The glacial outburst flooding from the Mendenhall is itself a phenomenon caused by climate change, which is thinning glaciers around the world. A glacier nearby retreated, leaving behind a large bowl — Suicide Basin — that fills each spring and summer with rainwater and snowmelt dammed by the Mendenhall. When that water builds up enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam, enters Mendenhall Lake, and flows down the Mendenhall River toward Juneau. Flooding from the basin has been an annual concern since 2011 and has gotten worse, with new water-level records being set each of the last three years. City officials responded this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install the temporary barrier along roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of riverbank. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant, reinforced sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. The Juneau Assembly required homeowners in the flood zone to cover 40% of the barrier's cost — about $6,300 each over 10 years. Additionally, a handful of homeowners were asked to chip in $50,000 toward reinforcing the river bank. About one-quarter of the residents formally objected, not enough to torpedo the project. This week, some water seeped between the bastions or through pipes underneath them that are designed to allow water to drain from yards into the river. Valves in the pipes are supposed to prevent floodwater from entering. But officials uniformly called the project a success, while acknowledging that some homes were damaged and that the barrier needs to be further extended. The barriers are designed to last for up to 10 years to allow time for a long-term solution. But questions abound. The capacity of Suicide Basin seems to be growing, and scientists aren't sure what a worst-case flood might look like. They predict that within a few decades, the Mendenhall itself will retreat far enough that it no longer acts as a dam, eliminating the risk of a flood outburst from Suicide Basin. But the persistent melting could also form other glacially dammed lakes that could function in a similar way. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. 'There's still a lot to be learned,' said Nate Ramsey, Juneau's engineering and public works deputy director. 'We have to assume this will be an annual event for the next many, many years. Is something like a temporary, soil-filled basket levy the best we can do over that period of time? … We've got to keep looking for a long-term solution.' The Army Corps of Engineers has nearly $5 million set aside to begin working on a long-term solution, which for now largely consists of data collection. 'It's like trying to solve a math problem when the variables are always changing,' Army Corps Brig. Gen. Clete Goetz said Thursday. 'Seeing the problem is not the hard part. Engineering the solution is the challenge. That's what we're here for.' ___ Johnson and Attanasio reported from Seattle. Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Climate
- Boston Globe
Floodwaters from a glacier near Alaska's capital city break record levels and prompt evacuations
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The river hit major flood stage at 6 a.m. local time, already surpassing last year's record flood level of nearly 16 feet (5 meters), and was expected to peak at 8 a.m. before flood waters receded throughout the day Thursday, the National Weather Service said. Advertisement Basin flooding is a yearly worry Flooding from the basin has become an annual concern since 2011, and in recent years has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. Government agencies installed temporary barriers this year in hopes of protecting several hundred homes in the inundation area from widespread damage. The flooding happens because a smaller glacier near Mendenhall Glacier retreated — a casualty of the warming climate — and left a basin that fills with rainwater and snowmelt each spring and summer. When the water creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam created by the Mendenhall Glacier, enters Mendenhall Lake and eventually flows down the Mendenhall River, as it did Tuesday. Advertisement Before the basin began overtopping, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. The city saw successive years of record flooding in 2023 and 2024 — with the river last August cresting at 15.99 feet (4.9 meters), about 1 foot (30 centimeters) over the prior record set a year earlier — and flooding extending farther into the Mendenhall Valley. This year's flooding was predicted to crest at between 16.3 and 16.8 feet (4.96 to 5.12 meters). Last year, nearly 300 residences were damaged. A large outburst can release some 15 billion gallons of water, according to the University of Alaska Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center. That's the equivalent of nearly 23,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. During last year's flood, the flow rate in the rushing Mendenhall River was about half that of Niagara Falls, the researchers say. Before the basin began overtopping, the water level was rising rapidly — as much as 4 feet (1.22 meters) per day during especially sunny or rainy days, according to the National Weather Service. Becky Bohrer/Associated Press A temporary levee is installed City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties completely during an 18-foot (5.5-meter) flood event, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. Advertisement The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at the start of what's expected to be a yearslong process of studying conditions in the region and examining options for a more permanent solution, such as a levee. The timeline has angered some residents, who say it's unreasonable. Outburst floods are expected to continue as long as the Mendenhall Glacier acts as an ice dam to seal off the basin, which could span another 25 to 60 years, according to the university and science center researchers. Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in Juneau contributed to this report.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025 disappointment for Emmy as Laika Party fails to enter winning orbit
Ireland has failed to make it into the grand final of Eurovision Song Contest 2025 . It was a nail-biting finish for our entry Emmy and her cosmic song Laika Party, which failed to ignite voters in the second semi-final of the contest held in Basel, Switzerland. Ireland's entry was one of a group also including Australia, Montenegro, Georgia, Czechia and Serbia that failed to make it onto the Eurovision stage this Saturday. The song, about a Soviet dog that became famous for becoming the first living being to orbit the Earth in space way back in 1957, did not do the business for the 24-year-old Norwegian-born singer, who had hoped to replicate the showing of Bambie Thug – who at Malmo 2024 was the first Irish entrant to make the final since Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Lisbon seven years ago. READ MORE Although Laika's voyage ended tragically all those years ago when she succumbed to overheating and stress after 10 days, Emmy and her writing team decided to spin a tale with a happier twist – but it took a downward trajectory when voting failed to go our way. [ Eurovision 2025 second semi-final live updates: Ireland's Emmy is knocked out before grand final Opens in new window ] Twenty entrants, 10 from Tuesday night's semi-final and 10 from tonight's second semi-final, will join the big five countries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, along with reigning champion Switzerland, who as host are guaranteed a slot after their act, Nemo, was victorious last year. Twenty-six will participate in the final. The countries qualifying tonight in a show that was all about bright lights, eye-popping costumes and multiple outfit changes were Lithuania, Israel, Armenia, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Malta and Greece. Since the semi-final stages were introduced to the contest, Ireland has now failed to qualify 12 times, and gotten through just seven times. Emmy and the delegation from RTÉ will not be having a party in the sky in Basle on Saturday night, but a pity party at the airport. The singer and her performing entourage should however be proud of their stage presence in a show that is watched by millions around the world annually. Unfortunately, Emmy has ended up adding her name to the growing list of Irish entries being pipped at the post in trying to reach the final.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025 disappointment for Emmy as Laiki Party fails to enter winning orbit
Ireland has failed to make it into the grand final of Eurovision Song Contest 2025 . It was a nail-biting finish for our entry Emmy and her cosmic song Laiki Party, which failed to ignite voters in the second semi-final of the contest held in Basel, Switzerland. Ireland's entry was one of a group also including Australia, Montenegro, Greece, Georgia, Czechia and Bosnia that failed to make it onto the Eurovision stage this Saturday. The song, about a Soviet dog that became famous for becoming the first living being to orbit the Earth in space way back in 1957, did not do the business for the 24-year-old Norwegian-born singer, who had hoped to replicate the showing of Bambie Thug – who at Malmo 2024 was the first Irish entrant to make the final since Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Lisbon seven years ago. READ MORE Although Laika's voyage ended tragically all those years ago when she succumbed to overheating and stress after 10 days, Emmy and her writing team decided to spin a tale with a happier twist – but it took a downward trajectory when voting failed to go our way. [ Eurovision 2025 second semi-final live updates: Ireland's Emmy is knocked out before grand final Opens in new window ] Twenty entrants, 10 from Tuesday night's semi-final and 10 from tonight's second semi-final, will join the big five countries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, along with reigning champion Switzerland, who as host are guaranteed a slot after their act, Nemo, was victorious last year. Twenty-six will participate in the final. The countries qualifying tonight in a show that was all about bright lights, eye-popping costumes and multiple outfit changes were Lithuania, Israel, Armenia, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Malta and Greece. Since the semi-final stages were introduced to the contest, Ireland has now failed to qualify 12 times, and gotten through just seven times. Emmy and the delegation from RTÉ will not be having a party in the sky in Basle on Saturday night, but a pity party at the airport. The singer and her performing entourage should however be proud of their stage presence in a show that is watched by millions around the world annually. Unfortunately, Emmy has ended up adding her name to the growing list of Irish entries being pipped at the post in trying to reach the final.
