City and Borough of Juneau officials on Saturday issued an evacuation advisory for residents in known avalanche slide paths and urged immediate evacuation as a rain event moves through the area.

"This is not a decision that we made lightly," said Ryan O'Shaughnessy, emergency programs manager for the City and Borough of Juneau, who said the advisory was issued shortly before 11 a.m. via the integrated public alert and warning system and local opt‑in alerts. O'Shaughnessy told residents in mapped slide paths to 'grab your go bag' and move to a safe location.

John Brissett, the CBJ avalanche adviser, said teams and observers have 'seen quite a few natural avalanches' and that they had 'up to 4 or 5' releases on the Chop Gully side of Mount Juno plus reports of debris in other paths and multiple avalanches along Fane Road. Brissett warned that rainfall on storm snow raises the risk that a much deeper avalanche could be triggered.

Officials emphasized that small natural releases can reduce the total snow available for larger slides, but they still advised residents to heed the evacuation guidance and to report observed activity to emergencyresponse@juneau.gov to help situational awareness.

The American Red Cross, working with CBJ, has made emergency shelter available at Centennial Hall, and officials said the shelter would be open within minutes when needed. CBJ asked volunteers assisting at the shelter to coordinate with the Red Cross.

Agencies coordinating the response include the National Weather Service, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Tlingit and Haida, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska said crews are on standby to provide waterside transport support if needed to reach neighborhoods such as Thane.

Officials said the evacuation advisory and sheltering plan are intended to protect life and allow emergency responders to focus resources on critical needs. The advisory remains in effect until experts determine the hazard has abated and it is safe to return.

Next steps: residents should check the CBJ avalanche advisory interactive map to confirm whether their address is in a mapped hazard area, sign up for CBJ emergency alerts, and follow official updates on the city's website.