A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Alaska on Wednesday, triggering mass evacuations along the coastline.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at 12:38 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET), with the epicenter located in the Pacific Ocean near the Shumagin Islands,
southeast of Sand Point and close to the Alaska
Peninsula

Emergency War.nings Prompt Swift Action
Alarms blared and cellphones buzzed as emergency notifications urged people from the Kennedy Entrance near Homer to Unimak Pass by Unalaska to head inland or to a higher elevation.
Homer’s mayor, Rachel Lord, described the situation:
“We heard reports of bumper-to-bumper traffic early on, as people rushed to evacuate the spit.”
Tsunami Alerts Issued, Then Downgraded

Authorities initially issued tsunami warnings for coastal areas including Kodiak Island, the Alaska Peninsula, and the eastern Aleutians. Photos from affected regions
showed empty shorelines and receding water levels-an ominous sign of a possible tsunami.
David Snider, a tsunami coordinator with NOAA, confirmed the quake had generated waves that raised
sea levels by about three inches.
“A tsunami was indeed generated,” he said, “but it no longer poses a threat.” However, officials cautioned that
small changes in sea level could persist for a while.
The full tsunami warning was issued shortly after the earthquake, but was reduced to an advisory within 90 minutes. By 12:45 p.m. local time (6:45 p.m. ET), the advisory had also been lifted.
Heightened Anxiety Along the CoastDespite the cancellation of warnings, coastal residents were told to
stay alert for at least 24 hours due to the potential for

Michael West, a seismologist with the Alaska Earthquake Center, explained to Fox Weather, “The southern
coastline of Alaska is one of the most earthquake-prone
zones in the country.
In fact, four out of five U.S. earthquakes happen in Alaska.” He added that although many tremors go unnoticed, Wednesday’s was notably powerful. “It looks like we got lucky this time,” he said.
Extent of the Impact
The National Weather Service confirmed there was no
tsunami threat to other states, such as Oregon and
Washington.
The National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) said the alert area stretched across approximately 700 miles, from 40 miles southwest of Homer to Unimak Pass.
In Kodiak, a town of about 5,200 people, officials were on h
ert. In King Cove, a much smaller community of
roughly 870 residents, local authorities encouraged

In Kodiak, a town of about 5,200 people, officials were on high alert. In King Cove, a much smaller community of roughly 870 residents, local authorities encouraged those in flood-prone zones to move to higher ground.
A Reminder of Alaska’s Seismic Past
The last earthquake of a similar magnitude in Alaska happened on June 10, 1996, when a 7.2 quake hit near the Andreanof Islands.
However, the most catastrophic quake in both Alaskan and U.S. history remains the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake.
That devastating 9.2 magnitude tremor struck near
Prince William Sound, with shocks felt as far as Seattle.
It
ered tsunamis that destroyed coastal
communities across Alaska and reached as far as Hawaii,
la, Oregon, and even Japan.