Citizens of Kodiak, Alaska were told to seek shelter in the local elementary and high school. Photo: Marnie Leist // Unsplash
A tsunami truly is a force of nature: powerful, destructive mass of water that can lay waste to coastal communities. Recently, a stretch of Alaskan coast felt the primal fear of an oncoming tidal wave, when a powerful offshore earthquake Wednesday triggered a tsunami warning — which was canceled soon after.
The earthquake that caused the warning had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center. The quake occurred at 12:37 p.m., roughly 55 miles south of Sand Point, Alaska.
“We have seen other earthquakes in the area that have not generated significant tsunami waves, but we’re treating it seriously and going through our procedures, making sure communities are notified so they can activate their evacuation procedures,” Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for Alaska’s emergency management division, told the Associated Press.
In response, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for a 700 mile long stretch, ranging from 40 miles southwest of Homer to Unimak Pass. Communities in the sparsely populated area kicked into high alert, searching for high ground. In Kodiak, one of the largest communities in the area with a population of 5,200, the police department urged residents to take cover in emergency shelters in the local elementary and high school.
However, the warning was short-lived, being downgraded to an advisory soon after, and canceled by 2:45 p.m.
In fact, the water lever only ever rose about two and a half inches above the tide, as AP reports. “There’s no damage at the airport, doesn’t appear to be any damage at the harbor, no damage to speak of, really,” Sand Point Police Chief Benjamin Allen told AP.
