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After a glacial dam outburst destroyed homes in Alaska, a look at the risks of melting ice masses

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. The city of Juneau says the Mendenhall River flooded on Saturday because of a major release from Suicide Basin above Alaska's capital city, and at least two buildings were destroyed. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire via AP)
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. The city of Juneau says the Mendenhall River flooded on Saturday because of a major release from Suicide Basin above Alaska's capital city, and at least two buildings were destroyed. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire via AP) 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. The city of Juneau says the Mendenhall River flooded on Saturday because of a major release from Suicide Basin above Alaska's capital city, and at least two buildings were destroyed. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire via AP)

By BECKY BOHRER / Associated Press 4 min read

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — People in Alaska’s capital have lived for more than a decade with periodic glacial dam outbursts like the one that destroyed at least two homes over the weekend.

But the most recent flood was surprising for how quickly the water moved as the surging Mendenhall River devoured riverbanks, undermining and damaging homes, and prompted some residents to flee.

Here are some issues surrounding glaciers and the floods that result from the bursting of snow-and-ice dams.

WHAT CAUSED THE FLOODING IN JUNEAU?

The water came from a side basin of the spectacular but receding Mendenhall Glacier that is known as the Suicide Basin. The glacier acts as a dam for precipitation and melt from the nearby Suicide Glacier that collects in the basin during the spring and summer. Eventually the water gushes out from under the Mendenhall Glacier and into Mendenhall Lake, from which it flows down the Mendenhall River.