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 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.
Outburst: A new KTOO series coming this August
As Juneau residents and officials prepare to take on a potential third year of flooding, this new series takes stock of the evolving threat and efforts to keep residents safe.
Outburst, Episode 1: The flood zone
The first episode of Outburst unravels why so many people were shocked by the sudden severity of recent glacial outburst floods – and why Alaska’s capital city wasn’t prepared.
Outburst, Episode 2: How we got here
The second episode of Outburst takes us from the past to the present to hear how scientists are figuring out how big the danger could get.
Outburst, Episode 3: Bomb the glacier?
Juneau city officials are looking at everything from dams to explosives to keep Mendenhall Valley residents safe from future glacial outburst floods.
Outburst, Episode 4: Stay or go
Some residents feel they have no choice but to cut their losses and leave. Others hope to stay, pointing to investments they’ve made into their homes and the tight-knit Juneau community.