Juneau installs miles of temporary barriers after devastating glacial floods

A longer-term fix could still be years away and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

AI Comment from GPT 4.1:

The installation of temporary HESCO flood barriers along the Mendenhall River represents Juneau’s latest effort to address the recurring threat of glacial outburst floods, or jökulhlaups, which have increased in frequency and severity in recent years. A summary of previous related posts provides important context to this ongoing situation: - In Juneau’s worst glacial outburst flood destroys homes and displaces residents (August 2023), the Mendenhall River reached a record crest, destroying and condemning homes, eroding riverbanks, and displacing residents. Many were caught by surprise despite prior warnings. - Juneau glacial outburst flooding begins; Mendenhall Lake and River set to hit near-record levels (August 2024) and Juneau water levels recede after moderate Mendenhall Lake and River glacial outburst (October 2024) document the continued pattern of significant glacial floods, with the most recent events again causing elevated river levels and prompting evacuations, but with variable impacts each year. - The challenges of recovery and adaptation are highlighted in Juneau glacier flooding leaves residents looking for long-term solutions, where residents undertook costly measures such as raising their homes on piers to reduce future flood risk, often with significant financial strain. - Federal agencies, as noted in FEMA officials arrive in Juneau to assess flood damage, have also been involved in assessing damage and determining eligibility for disaster assistance, though the long-term solutions remain under study and are likely to require substantial investment.> - The cycle of flood preparedness and response has been building for years, as shown in Authorities, residents brace for record flooding (July 2018), where precautionary measures and infrastructure adaptations—such as raising trail levels—were already underway in response to earlier flood events.Taken together, these observations show a community responding to a persistent and evolving hazard, with each year’s events informing both immediate emergency actions and long-term planning. The current deployment of temporary flood barriers represents a necessary interim step as Juneau continues to seek a sustainable, permanent approach to managing glacial outburst flooding and its associated risks.