A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of Alaska, prompting evacuation orders in multiple communities. The offshore quake occurred near Sand Point and was felt as far away as Anchorage, 600 miles northeast. Initial tsunami warnings were issued but were quickly downgraded to an advisory and then canceled. Although the highest water level recorded was only 2.5 inches above the tide, some minor damages occurred, such as broken bottles in a local store. No significant infrastructure damage was reported.
Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for Alaska's emergency management division, stated, "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."
The earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, struck at 12:37 p.m. local time south of Sand Point, a community of about 600 people on Popof Island, in the Aleutian chain, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.
Police Chief Benjamin Allen reported, "There's no damage at the airport, doesn't appear to be any damage at the harbor, no damage to speak of, really."
At the Alaska Commercial general store, manager Vickey McDonald mentioned that about half of the store's alcohol aisle had crashed and shattered, with broken bottles being the only notable damage.
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