CBJ Participates in USACE Spring Training to Prepare Local Agencies for 2026 GLOF 

Last week, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Alaska District hosted a multi-day training in the Mendenhall Valley for staff from the City and Borough of Juneau, Tlingit & Haida and other local agencies in preparation for a 2026 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).  

Nearly 50 people from CBJ, USACE and Tlingit & Haida took part in both classroom and in-the-field training to gain a practical understanding of the flood fighting equipment and materials provided by the USACE Emergency Management Advance Measures program. Staff from the CBJ Streets and Parks and Recreation departments received instruction on everything from how to operate the dozens of industrial-grade pumps that will be deployed ahead of the next GLOF, to how to operate the sandbag-filling machine on loan from USACE for the summer.  

While last week’s hands-on training was targeted to the operational needs of CBJ and Tlingit & Haida staff, USACE will return to Juneau to provide similar training for Juneau residents later this summer. Dates for upcoming sandbag distribution events, like those offered in 2025, will be announced later this spring.  

The three-day training also included multi-agency discussions and scenario-planning, with the goal of aligning common understandings and defining roles and responsibilities ahead of the 2026 GLOF.  

CBJ appreciates the continued resources and expertise provided by the USACE to prepare and protect the community. This early planning and coordination between agencies will strengthen Juneau’s resilience in the face of the evolving and recurring hazard of glacial lake outburst floods.  

For more information, contact [email protected].