New sandbag-style barriers installed along a river in Alaska’s capital city held back record levels of flooding and prevented widespread damage after an ice dam at the nearby Mendenhall Glacier released a massive amount of rainwater and snowmelt downstream, officials said Wednesday.

Update, 6:25 a.m. Wednesday: The Mendenhall River hit a record level as of 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The river is in major flood stage at 16.17 feet and rising, the agency said. That surpasses the record set last year of 15.99 feet.

KTOO’s Alix Soliman is part of the team reporting on this year’s glacial outburst flood. She spoke to Alaska Public Media's Casey Grove about it on Tuesday. Below is the transcript of an interview with Soliman on Alaska News Nightly. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.