She called on people to “[pray] for Alaska,” saying, “Our family is intact - house is not.”
“I imagine that’s the case for many, many others. So thankful to be safe; praying for our state following the earthquake,” Palin, the former GOP vice-presidential nominee in 2008, wrote on the social media website.
Palin, who is from Wasilla, did not elaborate on the extent of the damage. However, photos and videos posted online showed damaged buildings and buckled roads.
In Anchorage, several significant aftershocks hit the area, with one measuring 5.8.
It prompted people to reportedly flee their offices or to take cover under desks. Tsunami warnings were also sent out to people on Kodiak Island and nearby.
It’s not clear whether there were injuries or deaths in connection to the quake.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centered about 7 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, with a population of about 300,000.
People ran from their offices or took cover under desks. Cracks could be seen in a two-story downtown Anchorage building, and photographs posted to social media showed fractured roads, as well as fallen ceiling tiles at an Anchorage high school. A large section of an overpass near the Anchorage airport collapsed, marooning a car on a narrow island of pavement next to where the road gave way. The quake also disrupted electrical service and knocked out traffic lights in Anchorage, snarling traffic.
The Anchorage Police Department told the public to call 911 only during emergencies.
“Our officers have been dispatched throughout the area and are handling multiple situations. We are working with our public safety partners to keep you safe. For parents, we are working with our partners at the Anchorage School District to check on your children and make sure they are safe,” the department said in a statement.
“There is major infrastructure damage across Anchorage. Many homes and buildings are damaged. Many roads and bridges are closed. Stay off the roads if you don’t need to drive. Seek a safe shelter. Check on your surroundings and loved ones,” it added.
“It was anarchy,” said one local man to AP of the quake. “There’s no pictures left on the walls, there’s no power, there’s no fish tank left. Everything that’s not tied down is broke.”
A massive 9.2 earthquake struck the area on March 27, 1964, and is considered the “most powerful recorded earthquake in U.S. history,” the agency says. “It is also the second largest earthquake ever recorded, next to the M9.5 earthquake in Chile in 1960.”
