“What a difference a year makes,” she said. “There’s a lot of relief just driving around and instead of people depressed, sad … you saw people mowing their lawns, walking their dogs, kids playing, even a few kids playing in the puddles that were left over.”

After waters peaked at 16.65 feet, newly installed HESCO barriers and early alerts spared schools, homes and businesses from major damage with no rescues or evacuations.

The temporary levee the city installed along the Mendenhall River this year protected hundreds of homes nearby. But water still leaked through some sections and flooded several streets and homes.

Alaska's capital of Juneau faced record floodwaters due to rainwater and snowmelt flowing downstream from a basin dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier.