Juneau Afternoon livestream featuring previews of First Friday with the JAHC, a new series OUTBURST from KTOO, updates with the Chamber of Commerce, and the return of Garden Talk. Timestamps: 00:50 Show begins / intro 02:53 Juneau Arts and Humanities Council First Friday Preview 16:04 “Outburst” podcast preview from KTOO news with reporter Alix Soliman 31:15 Garden Talk with Darren Snyder 47:37 Juneau Chamber of Commerce with Ben Brown
Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.
Juneau Afternoon livestream featuring KTOO General Manager Justin Shoman, Ride for Peace with Dr. Craig Davis, and Month of Play from CBJ Parks and Recreation. Timestamps: 01:08 Show begins / intro 02:08 Justin Shoman 14:30 Dr. Craig Davis’ Ride for Peace 44:00 CBJ Parks and Recreation Month of Play
Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.
It’s been almost two years since Juneau’s glacial outburst flood got out of hand.
On that August day, the water level rose swiftly on the Mendenhall River. That wasn’t unusual. Local experts had been tracking water levels in Suicide Basin — the glacial lake high up on Mendenhall Glacier that fills with rain and meltwater every summer — for years and gave ample notice of the annual release.
But unlike in previous years, the water level rose to nearly 15 feet.
“There is no comparison,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Nicole Ferrin told KTOO at the time. “We’re two feet over our last record.”
One unoccupied house crashed into the swollen river. Other homes had their foundations exposed by the eroded riverbank.
A house and condo buildings in the 4400 block of Riverside Drive hang precariously over the Mendenhall River after their foundations were eroded away during record high water from a glacial outburst flood on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (Mikko Wilson / KTOO)
The event caught everyone off guard, including those of us in the newsroom. Aside from some erosion and moderate flooding that threatened a few homes along the river, the annual outburst flood was in many ways more of a novelty up to that point.
The next year, the flood was even bigger and the consequences were much more serious. Hundreds of homes flooded when the river crested at 16 feet.
KTOO Climate and Weather Reporter Anna Canny covered the aftermath of both record-breaking events. Last fall, she proposed a series examining the floods and secured funding from the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism to help make it happen.
KTOO reporter Anna Canny interviews emergency personnel along Mendenhall River during the August 2024 glacial outburst flood. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Now, as Juneau residents and officials prepare to take on a potential third year of flooding, our newsroom has a new series, Outburst, that takes stock of the evolving threat and efforts to keep residents safe.
Although Anna left Juneau at the beginning of the year to pursue new opportunities, this series would not have been possible without her.
Climate and Environment Reporter Alix Soliman joined the newsroom in February and dove headfirst into flood reporting, picking up right where Anna left off. She’s reported extensively on the construction of HESCO barriers along sections of the river and preparations ahead of this year’s flood and hosts the series.
ACEJ’s grant supported this four episode series, as well as outreach efforts to make sure information about the flood gets to the people who need it. Those included a community public safety barbecue this July and a set of maps that show the evolving course of the river, its flood paths and the recession of the Mendenhall Glacier.
Outburst premieres in early August. Find it here at ktoo.org/outburst, on the radio and wherever you get your podcasts.
Mendenhall Valley residents and local organizations gather to discuss glacial outburst flood preparation at Riverside Rotary Park on Thursday, July 17, 2025 for KTOO’s community barbecue. (Photo by Will Mader/KTOO)
Juneau Afternoon livestream featuring community marimba concert with Caden Davis and Jesse Larson, Juneau Community Foundation, Juneau Commission on Aging, and Juneau Public Libraries. Timestamps: 01:00 Show begins / intro 04:41 Caden Davis and Jesse Larson from Pamwe Marimba 20:50 Juneau Community Foundation announces over $100,000 in grants to local arts and culture organizations 34:59 Juneau Commission on Aging with upcoming events in July/August 49:35 Juneau Public Libraries upcoming events
Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.
Juneau Afternoon livestream featuring Defenders of Wildlife’s Electric Fence Incentive Program, AEYC-SEA’s Childhood Apprentice Program, and National Night Out with the Juneau Police Department. Timestamps: 01:06 Show begins / Intro 02:45 Got Bears? Sounds Wild / Defenders of Wildlife Electric Fence Incentive Program 21:58 AEYC-SEA Childcare Apprentice Program looking for its next cohort 43:33 Juneau Police Department’s National Night Out happening on August 6
Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.
Juneau Afternoon livestream featuring Theater Alaska Climate Fair for a Cool Planet, Southeast Alaska Independent Living movie night, and Master’s Faire. Timestamps: 00:54 Statement from KTOO President Justin Shoman on funding rescission 06:36 Theater Alaska’s “Climate Fair for a Cool Planet” 25:49 Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s Disability Pride Month movie celebration 44:06 4th annual Master’s Faire
Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.
