Raging waters that ate away at riverbanks, destroyed at least two buildings and damaged others had receded Monday in Alaska’s capital city after an outburst of weekend flooding from a glacial lake, The US authorities said.
Levels along the Mendenhall River had begun falling by Sunday and returned to normal levels Monday but the city said river banks remained unstable, reports AlArabia English News service.
On Sunday, onlookers gathered on a bridge over the river and along the banks of swollen Mendenhall Lake to take photos and videos though their ranks had thinned by Monday. A home was propped precariously along the eroded river bank as milky-colored water whisked past.
Two homes were totally lost in the flooding, and a third was partially destroyed, Robert Barr, Juneau’s deputy city manager, said. There have been no reports of injuries or fatalities.
Eight additional structures damaged in the flooding have been condemned, including two condo buildings with six units each, but some of the eight could possibly be salvaged.
“We’re hopeful that one or more of them may be able to undergo some substantial repairs, including bank stabilization,” Barr said. “It’s not a foregone conclusion that those would be able to come back, but it’s not impossible.”
A home hangs over the edge of an eroded riverbank after part of the neighboring house fell into the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. (AP)
The city does not yet have either a monetary estimate of the damage or the total volume of water that was released into the river.
Such floods occur when glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes.
