Peltola, visiting homes where flood recovery efforts are underway, says FEMA aid request may be difficult

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola on Sunday visited a neighborhood hit by last week’s record flooding that in some ways is in notably better shape than what the other members of Alaska’s congressional delegation saw a few days ago. But the pleas from residents and local officials for federal disaster assistance remain, which she said may be difficult to provide.

About 290 homes were damaged by the glacial outburst flood that peaked early last Tuesday, according to an updated assessment published by the City and Borough of Juneau on Sunday evening. Peltola, accompanied by city and local tribal leaders, visited residents of several flooded homes, and spoke with volunteers and Alaska Organized Militia members providing assistance to neighborhoods.

One of the main goals of the visit, as with other members of the congressional delegation, was to provide an overview of the disaster so they can help make a case for disaster assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Mayor Beth Weldon. But Peltola, at the end of the tour, said that while “this has got to meet their minimum for listing a natural disaster,” a request for disaster aid may be difficult for the agency to approve given its limited funding and authority.

“The problem is FEMA is funded every year for six natural disasters,” she said. “We have six in Alaska every year. Nationally we have between 20 and 30. It is so underfunded that I don’t want to completely shift all of the blame to FEMA. They’re really running on a shoestring compared to the magnitude of disasters that we’re having now.”

FEMA denied disaster assistance to Juneau after a similar glacier outburst flood last year that damaged or destroyed about 40 homes, although in that instance some of the damage to individual properties was far more extensive as a few homes were swept into rivers and foundations under others left seriously exposed by riverbank erosion. Last year’s flooding from Suicide Basin caused the Mendenhall River to crest at 14.97 feet on Aug. 6, 2023, a record at the time that far exceeded the previous high of 11.99 feet in 2016.

This year the river crested at 15.99 feet, exceeding the initial “worst-case” forecast by a foot and causing far more widespread damage than last year to many areas not expecting flooding. This year’s damage largely involves the flooding of basements and ground-level floors of homes that will require replacing wall and flooring components.

Much of that work was well underway during Peltola’s tour on Sunday, with people’s belongings piled in yards and the walls of basements stripped to their wood frames with the help of volunteers and militia members. People were also fixing doors to homes and garages, digging up landscaping to be replaced, and piling various forms of debris on curbs for collection.

The first home Peltola and other officials stopped at was on Emily Way where Weston Holland moved back to a couple of years ago with his family, occupying the basement while his aunt and uncle who’ve lived there for many years reside on the second story of the three-floor residence. He told the visitors he was awakened by the sound of running water and, when it rushed in with enough force to knock loose both the refrigerator and stove, he and his wife “proceeded to climb over all the debris that was floating in and had picked up in the house to get to the kids.”

“She started handing kids off and I grabbed the first kid, knowing that I was going to have to fight my entire way up, and I look over and I see my buddy who lives (next door) at the doorway, so I was able to throw him the kids one at a time,” he said.

Holland said the first two days after the flood was “a constant fight, just getting water out of here.” After that people were able to remove the drywall, insulation and other materials contaminated with black mold that now have the family able to consider rebuilding options.

A few blocks away Tesla Cox told Peltola she is working on moving back into her duplex with temporary fixtures such as a plug-in utility sink and a mini-refrigerator. Her possessions are still piled in the yard after the lower part of the house was emptied to tear out drywall, insulation and other materials.

“My dad’s following up on Wednesday to kind of help, now that we’re getting close to drying out, to start hauling it back in,” Cox told the congresswoman.

Cox said she got significant assistance from the Tlingit and Haida Tribal Emergency Operations Center, whose officials estimate 470 tribal citizens living in 45 homes were affected by the flooding. Sabrina Grubitz, the center’s incident commander, said about 65 people were involved in assistance efforts, including 45 in the field at the peak of the response.

There are also 60 Alaska Organized Militia members — seven from Juneau, the others from elsewhere in the state — assisting with recovery efforts, along with officials from other agencies such as the state Department of Environmental Conservation, state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, and American Red Cross. Hundreds of residents have also signed up to volunteer since last Wednesday at an assistance center set up at Melvin Park by CBJ and the United Way.

“It’s been pretty amazing,” said James Currie, who signed up at the Melvin Park center on Sunday and was wearing a full-body protective suit as he helped remove hazardous material from a crawlspace. “We’ve only just come by this afternoon, but apparently there’s just been non-stop action all week getting people in here.”

The neighborhood, while still in disarray, looks remarkably different than when the flood waters receded five days ago, Jacob Miller, one of the local militia members, told Peltola.

“The first day that we showed up it was crazy,” he said. “There was just trash and debris everywhere. But over the last four days — I wish we would have taken before and after photos because what it was and what it is now, it’s come a long way.”

“It doesn’t really look like there was a disaster,” Peltola said about the block they were standing on, an observation that clearly didn’t apply to the entire neighborhood.

“That’s what we were going for,” Miller replied.

Peltola departed Juneau on Sunday evening, while members of her staff were scheduled to meet Monday in Anchorage with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials who have discussed possible engineering solutions to prevent future glacial outburst floods. Experts who have discussed such possibilities since last year’s flood have said any such measures will be both complex and costly — although perhaps ultimately less so than the costly and disruptive damage caused by extreme flooding from the glacier scientists have said is likely to become more common.

Other flood-related developments announced as of Tuesday morning include:

• Two state-operated Disaster Assistance Centers will open fro 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Wednesday through Friday to assist residents impacted by the flood who may be eligible for Individual Assistance. One will be at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library at 3025 Dimond Park Loop, the other at Generations Southeast Community Learning Center at 3239 Hospital Drive. Assistance at other times is available by calling (907) 632-2165. People should bring descriptions of damages and/or losses, home ownership documentation, insurance information, personal ID, and proof of occupancy (for example, a utility bill). Representatives from CBJ, Tlingit and Haida, American Red Cross of Alaska, and other agencies will also be on hand to provide assistance.

• The American Red Cross is offering damage-based financial assistance at 5636 Glacier Highway, Suite 101, for those whose primary residences sustained eligible damage as a result of the recent glacial outburst flooding. The center will be open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

• The volunteer center at Melvin Park will be open through at least Wednesday, according to CBJ. More information about the center and other CBJ flood response resources is available at juneau.org/manager/flood-response or by emailing floodresponse@juneau.gov.

• “As of Sunday, August 11, the center is in need of dehumidifiers, respirators, and elbow-length rubber gloves,” according to CBJ. “If you have equipment available to loan or donate, you can drop it off any time the center is open. If you’re making a loan, please be sure to label equipment with your name and phone number.”

• Hot meals, including vegan and gluten-free options, will be available at Melvin Park from noon-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. through Wednesday.

• Options for junk vehicles are now being evaluated by CBJ. The city operates a year-round junk vehicle program to help residents dispose of junk vehicles for free, according to an announcement published Sunday. “However, the number of vehicles damaged by the flood would likely overwhelm our processing partner. CBJ is currently working on a storage solution so that junk vehicles can be accepted immediately and then processed as capacity allows.”

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.