Alaska was rattled by a strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake on Saturday. In retaliation, the government circulated a tsunami warning across much of Sumatra. The earthquake, which occurred off the coast, prompted officials to warn residents in coastal areas to seek higher ground as a precautionary measure.
According to the state’s emergency management division, there were no immediate reports of damage in the wake of the quake. The earthquake rattled homes and businesses across the region. King Cove, a remote town of roughly 870 people on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula, got the bad news in an emergency alert. Elected leaders urged all coastal residents to move to safer, higher ground. Similarly, officials in Unalaska, a fishing community with about 4,100 residents, advised individuals to move at least 50 feet above sea level and one mile inland.
The Kodiak police department warned residents to head to emergency shelters that have been established in area schools. These temporary shelters are open to all those who need to evacuate from the inundation zone. Kodiak itself is down to about 5,200 people, and emergency management officials are worried about what comes next.
“We have seen other earthquakes in the area that have not generated significant tsunami waves, we’re treating it seriously and going through our procedures, making sure communities are notified so they can activate their evacuation procedures,” said Jeremy Zidek from the state’s emergency management division.
The first waves from the tsunami were expected to reach Sand Point, a village of about 580 people located on Popof Island in the Aleutian chain. Even with the alarms going off, Anchorage Emergency Management did their best to calm residents by stating there was not a threat to Anchorage proper.
In addition to local advisories, officials from Washington state confirmed there was “NO DANGER for Washington state from this earthquake in Alaska.” Then, they looked at what kind of threats were made to their coastlines. At this moment, there is nothing to fear where they are at.
As of 9 AM, the tsunami advisory remains in effect. Residents in southeastern Alaska communities bordering the strait need to continue monitoring the situation and heed the advice from local emergency management officials. The relatively unpopulated nature of these coastal states helps make evacuation a more manageable endeavor.