Hundreds of people in Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley are living on the front line of a climate change disaster they didn’t see coming. This is Outburst, the story of how glacial outburst flooding has escalated faster than human imagination – and public policies to protect people.
The KTOO newsroom and reporter Alix Soliman take you from the floodwaters to the glacier’s edge to uncover why the annual floods happen, how they got out of control and what can be done to keep Juneau safe.
On Aug. 6, 2024, many residents of Juneau’s Mendenhall Valley woke to freezing water rushing into their homes. Glacial outburst floods aren’t new to Juneau, but they’ve escalated dramatically in the last few years.
The first episode of Outburst unravels why so many people were surprised by the sudden severity of recent glacial outburst floods – and why Alaska’s capital city wasn’t prepared.
We’ll examine the science behind glacial outburst floods and how human psychology plays into policy.
KTOO’s Alix Soliman is our guide from flooded basements to assembly chambers and Juneau schoolrooms to understand how a disaster that’s been ramping up for years could shock people. KTOO reporter Clarise Larson cowrote this episode.
