City officials in Juneau, Alaska, have issued an emergency declaration as a glacier lake outburst flood wreaks havoc near the city, where structures have been destroyed.
The flooding is due to a break on Suicide Basin, a side basin on the Mendenhall Glacier, located about 12 miles north of Alaska’s state capital. A glacial lake outburst flood occurs when a dam containing a glacial lake breaks.
The flooding has destroyed several structures along the Mendenhall River, according to the National Weather Service. Two homes have been lost and another partially damaged and washed away, Rob Barr, deputy city manager of Juneau, told ABC News.
The risk of flooding from melted glaciers to increase as climate warms, a study published in Nature Climate Change in 2021 found.
