© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

As glaciers recede due to climate change, flooding increases

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

This past weekend, the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, released a flash flood on a river that cuts through a densely populated part of town. At least two homes collapsed into the river, and dozens of people have been displaced. As Anna Canny with member station KTOO reports, this kind of flooding is a growing issue around the world as glaciers recede due to climate change.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER RUSHING)

ANNA CANNY, BYLINE: On Sunday, John and Christine Loverink stood a few feet away from what used to be their backyard on the bank of the Mendenhall River. The water was still far above its usual level.

JOHN LOVERINK: It's about 2 1/2 times wider than it's ever been, that I've seen.

CANNY: The night before, the river rose nine feet in a matter of hours with water that had been released from the Mendenhall Glacier. The Loverinks had to evacuate and are now staying with friends.

J LOVERINK: I called her and said, what stuff should I grab?

CHRISTINE LOVERINK: Well, and he's normally, like, calm, cool, collected John. And he was...

J LOVERINK: (Laughter).

C LOVERINK: ...Sounding a little bit panicked, so I knew that things were happening fast down there.

CANNY: The water eroded the bank where the Loverinks' condo building stood. One corner now hangs off a steep drop-off. It's been condemned, along with a handful of other homes in Juneau. More have been damaged by standing water. Flooding from the Mendenhall Glacier has been happening every year since 2011, according to hydrologist Eran Hood with the University of Southeast Alaska. But this year was the first year that flooding significantly damaged homes because the speed of the water was so much faster.

ERAN HOOD: So roughly 50% higher than what we've ever seen. And this record goes back to the 1960s.

CANNY: This type of flooding isn't exclusive to the Mendenhall Glacier. Hood says that even worse events have happened in Iceland, the Andes and the Himalayas. A recent study estimated that 15 million people globally are threatened by these glacial outburst floods. The risks of them are increasing as human-caused climate change drives temperatures higher. As glaciers recede, they can leave behind a depression that can fill with rain or meltwater from the glacier. Those might be dammed by rock or ice. But if that dam suddenly gives way...

HOOD: This results in the really catastrophic floods that can cause, you know, just like a dam failure, a huge wall of water to move downstream.

CANNY: The dam that holds back water at the Mendenhall Glacier is made of ice. Hood theorizes that the cracks in the ice dam must have grown larger than usual in order for so much water to be released at once. On Monday, Juneau's city council voted to declare a local emergency. They plan to request aid from the state and federal level.

For NPR News, I'm Anna Canny in Juneau. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Anna Canny

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.