The residents of an Alaskan home that was swept away in raging floods following a glacial dam breach have spoken out, telling DailyMail.com of their shock as images of the disaster went around the world.
Elizabeth Wilkins and her partner Tom Schwartz were traveling in Oregon when the raging Mendenhall River slammed into their Juneau rental home, wiping away cherished memories and sending their cat Leo to an uncertain fate.
“We were both in disbelief, having just paddled down the river in packrafts a few weeks earlier,” Wilkins told the DailyMail.com in a telephone interview Tuesday night. “We had just moved all our stuff into the house.”
Wilkins and Schwartz, both teachers in the Juneau School District, rented the home of their friends Joe Buffaloe and his wife Elizabeth Kent, who is also a school teacher, and are currently teaching in Nicaragua while on leave from JSD.
Buffaloe and Kent also lost prized possessions in the flood, although in a lucky twist of fate Sunday a treasure trove of family photos was recovered from the river largely undamaged by kayakers.
It only took seconds for the house to collapse into the water in heavy flooding on Saturday after a glacial dam in the Mendenhall River broke
Tenants Elizabeth Wilkins and her partner Tom Schwartz were traveling in Oregon when the raging Mendenhall River hit their rental home in Juneau, Alaska, on Saturday
Wilkins and Schwartz’s cat Leo is now missing, after a neighbor who fed the pet was unable to safely reach the house before the building was swept away
While no one was hurt in the disaster, Wilkins and Schwartz’s cat Leo is now missing, after a neighbor who had been feeding the pet was unable to safely make it to the house before the building was swept away.
However, Wilkins hoped that Leo would be found safe, telling DailyMail.com, “He’s a pretty smart cat. You know, he’s an Alaskan cat. So he has good survival skills.’
She and Schwartz watched the disaster unfold in near real-time, as neighbors sent in photos and video of the home being swallowed by the Mendenhall River as it swelled to unheard-of levels.
“It wasn’t long before we knew our house was gone. And then it was all over the national news, which was even crazier,” she said.
Normally the house is about 30 meters from the river, separated by a wide backyard and a tree line.
But on Saturday, a dam of snow and ice broke dramatically in a phenomenon known as jökuhlaup, sending a huge wave of floodwaters down the river.
“The release of the glacial dam was unprecedented, it was much higher than normal,” Wilkins said.
Levels along the Mendenhall River began to fall on Sunday and returned to normal levels on Monday, but the city said riverbanks remained unstable.
The land around the house eroded rapidly for several hours before the building was no longer supported and dragged into the water
Normally the house is about 30 meters from the river, separated by a wide backyard, as shown in the photo above taken from the riverbank
“We were both in disbelief, we had just paddled down the river in packrafts a few weeks earlier,” Wilkins told DailyMail.com
A few weeks ago the river looked very different. On Saturday, a dam of snow and ice broke in a phenomenon known as jökuhlaup, sending a huge wave of floodwaters down the river
On Tuesday night, Wilkins and Schwartz were preparing to fly back to Juneau, where they planned to launch a search for the missing Leo.
“I’m just so amazed that our community,” Wilkins said, saying neighbors in Juneau have a GoFundMe Campaign to help them get back on their feet.
“People just helped with everything, and it was really moving, and I think one of the best things about living there is that we have an incredible community,” she said.
Family members now also have one GoFundMe Campaign in support of the homeowners, Kent and Buffaloe, who currently live in Nicaragua.
Their daughter Addy is in her freshman year of college and was surprised to find a Instagram message of her family photos retrieved from the river.
“When my family returned from a kayaking trip on Sunday, my son Liam came across a floating dining room table leg among other debris,” photojournalist Michael Penn wrote on the post.
“When we got within cell phone range, we learned of a glacial dam breakout, flooding along the Mendenhall River and the loss of people’s homes,” he continued.
“We collected floating foam insulation as we paddled back through a debris field. Liam lassoed a couch cushion and dragged it back. Then I found a ziploc bag soaked with pictures that just said ‘Family,'” he added.
“I would like to return these photos to the owners. Please message me if you recognize and know these people.’
Addy quickly saw the post and responded, “those are my family photos!”
a A fundraising campaign was also launched for a family living next door. The Dorsey family were told their insurance would not cover the damage after their unit was damaged in an apartment building.
Homeowners Joe Buffaloe and his wife Elizabeth Kent (above), who is also a school teacher, are currently in Nicaragua, where she temporarily teaches
Another house overhangs the edge of an eroded riverbank after part of the neighboring house fell into the Mendenhall River in Juneau on Sunday
The Mendenhall River flooded Saturday after a large release from Suicide Basin over Alaska’s capital city, a press release from the City and Borough of Juneau said.
At least two buildings were destroyed and residents of other high-risk properties were evacuated during the incident.
Videos posted to social media showed towering trees along the riverbank being initially pulled into the rushing water. As the bank continued to sink for several hours, the house, teetering on the edge, collapsed into the river.
River levels began to drop on Sunday, but the city said the river’s banks remained highly unstable. Some roads were blocked by sludge and debris from the flood, it said.
Such glacial outbursts occur when glaciers melt and release massive amounts of accumulated water into nearby rivers.
A study published earlier this year found that such floods pose a risk to 15 million people around the world, more than half of them in India, Pakistan, Peru and China.
Suicide Basin has discharged water that has caused flooding along Mendenhall Lake and the Mendenhall River since 2011, according to the National Weather Service.
However, the maximum water level in the lake on Saturday night surpassed the previous record flood level of July 2016, the weather service reported.
Weather experts had predicted only a one percent chance of the flood. “We didn’t even think this was possible,” said National Weather Service Juneau hydrologist Aaron Jacobs.
Witness Sam Nolan, who filmed the moment the house fell into the water, said, “It was really sad to see, but all we could do was stand by and watch.”
Robert Barr, deputy city manager for the City and Municipality of Juneau, said, “We still have teams in the field. At the moment we are, among other things, visiting homes and assessing whether or not they are habitable.’