Mansion collapses into Alaska river after a break in Mendenhall Glacier’s ‘Suicide Basin’ caused extreme flooding
- The immaculate white home was pulled into the roaring waters of the Mendenhall River, in Juneau, during devastating flooding on Saturday
- Dramatic video shows how the land around the house rapidly eroded over a period of around six hours before the building collapsed
- The Mendenhall River flooded on Saturday after a major release from Suicide Basin
A mansion collapsed into a river in Alaska and was swept away after millions of gallons of water were released from a glacier-dammed lake.
The immaculate white home was pulled into the roaring waters of the Mendenhall River, in Juneau, during devastating flooding on Saturday.
The land around the building had rapidly eroded over a period of around six hours before it could no longer hold. It took only a matter of seconds for the building to tear apart completely as it tumbled into the water.
At least two buildings were destroyed and residents of other at-risk properties were evacuated during the incident.
The Mendenhall River flooded on Saturday because of a major release from Suicide Basin above Alaska’s capital city, a news release from the City and Borough of Juneau said Sunday.
The land around the home rapidly eroded over several hours before the building was no longer supported and was dragged into the water
It took just seconds for the house to collapse into the water during the heavy flooding on Saturday
Water levels on the Mendenhall Glacier, near Juneau, had reached a record high on Saturday night
Videos posted on social media showed towering trees along the river bank were initially pulled into the rushing waters. As the bank continued to recede across several hours, the home, teetering at the edge, collapsed into the river.
River levels began falling on Sunday but the city said the banks of the river remained highly unstable. Some roadways were blocked by silt and debris from the flooding, it said.
Such glacial outburst floods happen when glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes.
A study released earlier this year found such floods pose a risk to 15 million people around the globe, more than half of them in India, Pakistan, Peru and China.
Suicide Basin has released water that has caused flooding along the Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River since 2011, according to the National Weather Service.
However, the maximum water level in the lake on Saturday night exceeded the previous record flood stage set in July 2016, the weather service reported.
At least two homes were totally destroyed by the flooding and many more had to be evacuated
People pause on a bridge over the swollen Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, for a closer look or photos after a glacial dam burst earlier in the weekend caused flooding along the river and Mendenhall Lake
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
City crews remove a tree next to the bridge across the Mendenhall River because of unstable soil caused by record flooding in the river on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska
Weather experts had predicted just a one percent chance of the flooding which took place. ‘We didn’t even think that this was possible,’ said National Weather Service Juneau hydrologist Aaron Jacobs.
Witness Sam Nolan, who filmed the moment the home collapsed into the water, said: ‘It was really sad to see, but all we could do was stand there and watch.’
Robert Barr, Deputy City Manager for the City and Borough of Jeneau, said: ‘We continue to have teams out in the field. Right now, one of the things we’re doing is visiting residences and making assessments about whether or not they’re occupiable or not.’
A fundraiser has been launched for a family who live next door to the mansion that was swept away after their home was also left uninhabitable. The Dorsey family were also told their insurance would not cover the damage after their unit in a condo building was damaged.
Source: Read Full Article
