Overview

• On August 12–13, water from Suicide Basin escaped the Mendenhall Glacier ice dam and crested near 16.75 feet on the Mendenhall River, topping last year’s 15.99-foot record.
• Local, state, federal and tribal agencies issued intensified evacuation orders and opened shelters for residents in the flood inundation zone.
• Responders deployed about 10,000 Hesco-style barriers along 2.5 miles of riverbank to protect more than 460 properties and are credited with limiting widespread damage.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has launched a years-long assessment of permanent flood-control options as communities express frustration over reliance on temporary measures.
• Researchers link the growing frequency and magnitude of these glacial lake outburst floods to continued glacier retreat and regional warming, warning the events will persist for decades.