Ice dam at Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier releases floodwater toward downstream homes
A large rainwater and snow melting basin, which was examined by Alaska’s Mentenhall Glacier, began to be released and on Tuesday, the authorities called on some parts of Juneau to evacuate the residents in front of a record fluctuation of flood water.
Recently, the authorities warn that they are ready to evacuate people in the flood region. On Tuesday morning, they confirmed that the water began to escape from the ice dam and flow down, and the flood expected until late Wednesday on Tuesday.
It became a flood from the basin An annual concernAnd in recent years, he sweeps the houses and sank hundreds of houses. State institutions established a temporary tax this year, hoping to protect against widespread damage.
Nicole Ferrin, Meteorologist Nicole Ferrin, said in a statement on Tuesday, “This will be a new record based on all the information we have.”
Mentenhall glacier – a thinning, retracted glacier great tourist attraction In Southeast Alaska – every spring and summer serves as a dam for the suicide basin that fills it with rainwater and snow melting. When a smaller glacier is withdrawn nearby, the basin itself is left behind.
When the water in the basin creates enough pressure, it forces its path under or around the ice dam, enters the Mentenhall Lake and eventually into the Mentenhall River. Before reaching the boundary of the basin capacity and starting to exceed the weekend, the water level was rapidly rising – according to the National Weather Service, increased up to 4 feet (1.22 meters per day) especially on sunny or rainy days.
The threat called glacial explosion wire has disturbed the parts of Juneau since 2011. In some years, the boundaries of streets or properties near the lake or river are limited.
However 2023 And 2024 Last August, the river, a year ago in the previous record of approximately 1 feet (0.3 meters) and the Mentenhall Valley, which extends to 4.9 meters (4.9 meters), the flood is going to the top. This year’s flood would be 4.96 to 5.12 meters (16.3 to 16.8 feet.
Last year, About 300 houses damaged.
According to Alaska University Southeast and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, a large explosion can release about 15 billion gallons of water. This is the equivalent of about 23,000 Olympic swimming pool. Researchers, during last year’s flood, the flow rate in the Hurry Mentenhall River said about half of the Niagara Waterfalls.
City officials responded to concerns from the property owners this year by working with the state, federal and tribal assets to establish a temporary levee on the banks of a 2.5 miles to protect against widespread floods. Nate Rumsey, the Deputy Director of the city’s engineering and public works department, aims to protect the installation of barriers of approximately 10,000, four meters (1,2 meters), similar to last year, more than 460 properties.
The US Army Engineers’ Association is expected to be a year -long process to examine the conditions in the region and examine the options for a more permanent solution. The timeline angered some of the inhabitants who said it was unreasonable.
According to the researchers of the University and Science Center, Mentenhall Glacier is expected to continue explosion floods as long as it serves as an ice dam to seal the basin.
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The Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in Juneau contributed to this report.
