A powerful earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale shook southern Alaska on Wednesday, prompting tsunami warnings and urgent evacuations across a 700-mile stretch of coastline. Although the warning was later downgraded and ultimately canceled, the quake rattled nerves and sent residents scrambling to higher ground.
The earthquake struck at 12:37 p.m. local time, with its epicenter located south of Sand Point, a small town of around 600 people on Popof Island in the Aleutian chain. The shockwaves were felt as far as Anchorage, nearly 600 miles away, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.
Authorities acted quickly, with the National Tsunami Warning Center initially issuing a warning for coastal areas spanning from about 40 miles southwest of Homer to Unimak Pass. Larger towns like Kodiak, home to over 5,000 people, were included in the alert. Within an hour, the warning was downgraded to an advisory and then canceled just before 2:45 p.m. after data showed minimal wave activity.
Jeremy Zidek from Alaska’s emergency management division said the region is no stranger to seismic activity, and while previous quakes in the area haven’t generated major tsunami waves, all necessary precautions were taken. Sand Point reported a water rise of only about 2.5 inches above normal tide levels.
Police Chief Benjamin Allen in Sand Point confirmed there was no visible damage to major infrastructure like the airport or harbor. However, there was some minor damage at the local Alaska Commercial general store, where shelves of alcohol, sauces, and pickles crashed to the floor. “It smells horrendous in here,” joked store manager Vickey McDonald.
Communities such as Unalaska and King Cove activated evacuation alerts, urging residents in low-lying zones to head inland or uphill. In Seward, tourists Jodie Stevens and Aaron Park were visiting the Alaska SeaLife Center when the alarm was raised. They joined others in a hurried trek uphill in the rain, only to be met by an all-clear siren midway through their climb.
The National Weather Service assured that no tsunami threat extended to the broader U.S. or Canadian Pacific coasts, including Washington, Oregon, and California.
Alaska’s southern coastline is seismically active, and Wednesday’s quake marked the fifth in the region since 2020 exceeding magnitude 7. State seismologist Michael West noted that the region is undergoing a persistent sequence of seismic events. “This area has been and remains capable of larger earthquakes and earthquakes capable of significant tsunami damage,” he said, adding that the pattern is drawing increased attention from scientists.