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How glacial flooding has caused destruction in Alaska for years

Flooding from a release of water and snowmelt at Mendenhall Glacier covered some roads and threatened homes along the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (City and Borough of Juneau/AP)
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Flooding from a release of water and snowmelt at Mendenhall Glacier covered some roads and threatened homes along the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (City and Borough of Juneau/AP)

This week, a glacial outburst sent millions of gallons of water surging down the Mendenhall River that runs through Juneau, Alaska. The river rose to a record level, but temporary barriers largely kept major flooding at bay. This glacial flooding has caused severe, destructive flooding for the past two years.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Sabrina Grubitz, Tlingit and Haida public safety manager, and is incident commander of the unified command responding to the flooding.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom