Glacial flooding marks a defeat in the fight against global warming

Unprecedented glacial flooding swept away two homes and severely damaged others in Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, over the weekend

No injuries have been reported, although floodwaters caused significant damage to buildings, according to Juneau Deputy City Manager Robert Bar, who said, “It is directly tied to a single, specific glacial phenomenon.”

The water surrounding the 3,000-year-old Mendenhall Glacier, which draws tourists from around the world, is now threatening the city.

Flooding from the glacier has been happening every summer since 2011, but this weekend’s overflow smashed previous water level records by nearly three feet.

Scientists said that the frequency and strength of extreme weather events are increasing greatly because of human-influenced climate change.

Cities around the world are having to adjust to the ‘new normal’ caused by climate changes including extremely powerful storms, erratic weather, floods and droughts.

“It really exceeded our expectations,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Park, adding that it is “pretty devastating for the community.”

Residents, scientists and city leaders recognize that the flooding will happen in Juneau every year — but the severity of each devastating deluge will remain a mystery until only shortly before the waters come pouring down when the glacier breaks.

City officials declared an emergency on Sunday as the flooding made the banks of the Mendenhall River unstable and blocked some roads with silt and debris.

“Although river levels continue to fall, at least two structures have been lost to the river and others are at risk and/or have been evacuated,” Juneau officials said in a news release.