On August 6th, 2024, the island community of Juneau saw devastating flooding due to a glacial outburst on the Mendenhall River. For the past two years, on exactly the same day, the Mendenhall River, which runs through the city of Juneau, has seen major flooding when the Mendenhall Glacier released millions of gallons of water into Mendenhall Lake, causing the river to flood dramatically.

As the climate crisis continues to increase glacial melt and runoff, these once uncommon events are becoming more and more frequent. During this particular disaster response, Red Cross volunteers responded quickly at emergency shelters and intake centers and taking care of the community’s immediate needs. Here are some of the stories from the flood.
 

Saying Goodbye to Your Home

Danielle Lindoff has lived on the river for 13 years, experiencing many flooding events throughout her time in her community. The flooding that occurred last year saw water in her garage but little to no noticeable damage. When Danielle heard the warnings this year, she and her husband covered all entryways following FEMA flood preparation protocol. They moved their belongings to high ground and hunkered down in their home since the flooding had never severely affected them.

They monitored the situation, keeping up with their daily routines until around 11:30 pm when the water came up onto the street. Their power had been turned off, and they suddenly heard a large crash.  Debris was flowing down the river, and a log hit their garage. "We could hear water flowing in," said Danielle. Around 12:30 am, water began to fill the lower level of their home. They decided to push towels along the inside of the doors to stop the water from entering their home. "It was supposed to crest at 1 am," Danielle explained. "So, we thought that if we could just stop this little amount from coming in the house by putting up towels, then we would be ok." At 1:30, they were told it wouldn't crest until 4 am. As it worsened, water began coming through their sliding glass door. The wake was so strong it picked up their deck and tilted it towards the house, allowing the water to funnel, while also protecting the glass door from debris. While they waited out the peak of the water, they heard another loud crash in the garage. This time, they couldn't help but feel frightened, but they held onto hope that the damage would be manageable. As their pile of towels slowly diminished, they resorted to using deck brushes to push water into their crawl spaces, trying to alleviate the damage of sitting water. Danielle began to try to move her things to even higher ground when around 3:30 am “The water started pouring in from the front door like a bathtub faucet," said Danielle.

 With no end in sight, they decided it was time to go. Though they did not want to leave their home, they were prepared with emergency bags and an inflatable motorized boat roped to their neighbor's yard on higher ground. They first tried to evacuate through the front door but quickly realized the flow of the current was too strong. Danielle's husband jumped from the second-story into the 5ft deep water below. He swam over to their boat and brought it around before helping Danielle out of the window. With their cats in carriers, they headed towards the street, navigating with only headlamps and a small flashlight. Once they reached the water's edge, they had some family pick them up to stay the night with them.

 That night was restless, "we couldn't sleep; I just said goodbye to my house," said Danielle.  At about 9 am, they headed back to assess the damage. The 2nd loud crash from the night before was their large, deep freezer being swept up by water and knocking down their belongings from the high shelves. They saw that everything was covered in mud and silt. "The end result was complete devastation of the whole first level," she said.  Their sliding glass door and front door held just enough water back to protect the second level of their home.

Danielle recalled, "The Red Cross came several times, giving us whatever we needed. They did the walk-through and damage assessment for us." After recovering with family for the next several days after the flood, Danielle went to the Red Cross enrollment center. "Volunteers were great; they took all of my information and were very sensitive to the nature of everything. It was very quick," she said.  After she received her initial assistance, she said she hoped others would seek out the Red Cross to begin their recovery. "I had a great experience with the Red Cross. It was the least of all the hoops I had to jump through. They said they were here for you, and they really were. I am super thankful, and I passed the word on to my neighbors." 
 

Impact of the Red Cross

With our deep roots in local communities, an established leader in disaster relief, and unparalleled global relationships and resources, the Red Cross is uniquely positioned to make a significant and lasting impact for those grappling with the largest humanitarian crisis of our time.