Residents in southern Alaska’s coastal communities experienced sudden evacuations as a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Wednesday at 12:37 p.m. local time.
The quake, which was felt nearly 600 miles away in Anchorage, prompted officials to quickly activate tsunami warnings for the region.
Following assessment, the tsunami warning was soon downgraded and ultimately canceled, with no significant damage reported.
Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for Alaska’s emergency management division, emphasized the seriousness of the situation.
“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,” he stated.
The National Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a warning covering a region extending from approximately 40 miles southwest of Homer to Unimak Pass, a total of about 700 miles.
As the situation developed, the National Weather Service assured that there was no tsunami threat for other U.S. and Canadian Pacific coasts, including those of Washington, Oregon, and California.
Alaska’s southern coastline is well-known for its seismic activity, with the recent quake marking the fifth instance of significant seismic events in the same area since 2020, according to state seismologist Michael West.
In light of these events, scientists caution that a catastrophic “mega tsunami” could potentially devastate parts of the United States if an earthquake occurs along a particular fault line over the next 50 years.
Regions such as Alaska, Hawaii, and segments of the mainland West Coast are at risk should an earthquake strike the Cascadia subduction zone, which spans from Northern Vancouver Island to Cape Mendocino in California.
According to reports from the Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Coastal Alaska is deemed to experience the most significant tsunami risk in the entire country.
Historically, tsunamis triggered by earthquakes in Alaska have led to considerable destruction and loss of life along its coastlines.
Alaska holds the title as the most seismically active state in the U.S., having endured multiple “great” earthquakes, classified as Magnitude 8 or larger.
On average, it encounters roughly one earthquake of Magnitude 8 or higher every 13 years.
The largest earthquake recorded in the U.S., and the second largest globally, was the 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake.
It resulted in a widespread impact across Alaska and parts of British Columbia, Canada.
This earthquake lasted between 3 to 4 minutes and caused unprecedented devastation.
Areas south of the Alaska coastline were raised by as much as 18 feet, while some regions subsided by about 6 feet.
Certain parts of the crust moved seaward up to 50 feet almost instantaneously.
In Valdez Arm, local tsunami waves reached astonishing heights of 170 feet (52 meters).
The tragic consequences included 15 fatalities and approximately $284 million in property losses.
The subsequent tsunami claimed an additional 124 lives: 106 in Alaska, 13 in California, and 5 in Oregon, causing $116 million in damages.
Significant resources have been dedicated to tsunami prediction and risk mitigation over the years.
Since 1998, the Alaska Earthquake Center has worked alongside the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, as well as the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Their goal is to elevate coastal community safety by providing state and local officials with accurate information to handle tsunami hazards efficiently.
To achieve this goal, these agencies provide residents with inundation maps, maritime response maps, permanent flooding maps, community brochures, and a tsunami hazard mapping tool.
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